New Persuasion

Plastic Bags are a Waste

Inhabitat had a great post this morning about declining plastic bag usage in Ireland...

Ireland plastic bag usage drops dramatically after plastic bag taxes are instated!

With all the recent bans on plastic bags around the world, it’s natural to wonder just how effective all the bag banning will be. Instead of simply enacting laws to phase out plastic bags - which seems like a wishy-washy attempt at most, Ireland has implemented a tax-based incentive to cut plastic bag useage — and it seems to be working wonders. Between the government tax on bags, an effective advertising campaign, and public support, plastic bag usage has dropped 94% in a matter of weeks.

I am so glad to see some of the new things being done to decrease the use of plastic bags around the world!  I know what a huge problem they have caused and continue to cause to our environment, and can't wait to see the types of things we will do in the U.S. to make a difference for ourselves.

Missionaries Can Teach Communicators a Few Things

If communicators want to learn some lessons on reaching new audiences, they could study what modern day missionaries are up to.  Not to say I completely agree with their mission - to me, it seems disrespectful of local religions to come in and say that you've got the best one yet.  But I do admire their persistence and their wide use of communication tools, both old and new.

From the Washington Post article:

Using technological devices ranging from simple cassette tapes to solar-powered audio players and an iPod-like gadget called the Bible Stick, Christian groups are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to make one of the world's oldest books accessible in remote corners of the planet...Complete versions of the Bible can now be downloaded onto cellphones in parts of Africa. To reach those who can't read -- nearly one-fifth of the world's population, according to the United Nations -- Christian groups are rapidly increasing production of audio and video versions.

Jill Fallon, over at Business of Life, writes about the movie that's been seen by 5 billion people.  Star Wars?  E.T.?  Titanic?  Nope.  The Jesus Film - no, it's not Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ - it's the 1979 version, filmed on location in the Holy Land, starring a no-name cast.  It's also, according to The Washington Post, been translated into more than 1,000 languages.  Where did this movie come from?  The BBC says:

"[It's] the work of an American evangelical organisation, Campus Crusade. Funded by its supporters and well-wishers, it sends teams around the world, even where they are not particularly welcome. There they record new translations of the film, organise screenings to inquisitive crowds in improvised cinemas, and distribute copies to whoever they can."

Because of their zeal, missionaries leave no stone unturned in their effort to bring their message to everyone in the world - communicators should pay attention.

Filter for Good

While doing some research this morning I came across a website representing a campaign called "Filter for Good."  According to the website,

Brita and Nalgene have partnered to present FilterForGood. Take the pledge to make a small change in your life that could be part of a big change nationwide.

If you're ready, take the pledge. Still not convinced? Learn the facts about why reducing bottled water waste is so important.

And, if you purchase a FilterForGood refillable bottle, you'll also be supporting the Blue Planet Run Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to provide safe drinking water to 200 million people for the rest of their lives by 2027. For every FilterForGood refillable bottle purchased between August 10th and December 31st, 2007, a donation of $4, up to a maximum of $25,000, will be made to the Blue Planet Run Foundation.

This site offers some really great statistics about why bottled water waste is a concern and what we can do as individuals to help the big picture.  This shows that our society is aware of the environmental issues gaining media attention as well as ways in which we can make a difference.  I think that emphasis on the environment is only going to become more and more important over the upcoming decades-- especially because of the continuous coverage of the impact humans have on global warming.  It is good to know that companies are teaming up to give us options as consumers without taking away the convenience element that we love.

How Big is Your FOODprint?

There was a great TreeHugger post last week about conflicting opinions and reducing your global economic footprint when it comes to food and meal habits.  Vegetarians often feel that they are doing the best possible job of reducing their global impact by avoiding all types of meat, but a study using the state of New York showed that this may not be true-- depending, of course, on where you live as well as other outside factors.

In New York, the diet combination with the smallest possible footprint includes portions of both dairy and meat products.  According to the post,

Cornell scientist Christian Peters is the lead author on the study showing that although a low-fat vegetarian diet has a much smaller footprint than a typical New Yorker, a little meat can go a long way in reducing the ecological footprint. By taking advantage of crop rotation and better land management strategies, grazing animals actually decrease the amount of land needed to obtain the same calories.

The recommended 'dose' for a sustainable small foodprint is to eat only about 2 oz cooked meat or eggs a day. A single serving of meat is often estimated to be about 3 oz, or the size of a deck of cards. (insert quick math calculation here) This, leaves you with eating about 2 servings of meat every 3 days.

It is great that someone took the time to research many different aspects of a person's ecological footprint and has calculated other options for people that love the taste and the health benefits of eating a diet which includes meat.  Americans are usually willing to make minor changes as opposed to major lifestyle alterations, and knowing that it's not necessary to completely cut out meat in order to do something good for our planet is a big step.  While we are becoming more aware of our surroundings and of the health of our planet, it is important to note that there is sometimes more than just one option to consider-- many of which are positive. 

Baby steps add up to big strides over time.

Firsts

Here at McGinn MS&L we find it important to keep track of the first time important things occur in our society.  These changes tell us a lot about things that may be surprising or even overdue, and are a great indication of where we stand.

Some recent firsts that are significantly important are:

Ø      On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world's first successful "test-tube" baby was born in Great Britain.

Ø      For the first time at least since World War II, there were more failed marriages than lasting ones at the 25-year mark: Slightly more than half of the men and women who got married in the late 1970s were separated or divorced -- or widowed -- before they reached their 25th anniversary.

Ø      The 2008 edition of “America’s Best Black Colleges” marks the first time U.S. News & World Report has released a stand-alone ranking of historically black colleges and universities.

Ø      John Edwards appeared in the first MySpace/ MTV candidate forum. The Democratic presidential hopeful was the first in a string of candidate dialogs planned by those two stalwarts of modern culture.

Ø      The number of violent crimes increased by a larger amount than expected last year, extending the first significant rise in murders and robberies in a dozen years.  Robberies surged by 7.2% and murders rose 1.8%.

Ø      The number of people living past 100 in England and Wales reached almost 9,000 last year for the first time ever.  The number of Centenarians had increased ninety-fold since 1911 when there were only 100 total in the country.

What does this all mean?  Well, advances in technology have made things like the "test-tube baby" and the record number of Centenarians possible.  It also is the main factor behind the MySpace/ MTV political influence which signals a huge shift in society and the things that we emphasize as a nation.  Technology is changing everything about our world and we are taking notice.  It's great to see that we are taking advantage of our ability to communicate to mass audiences and political leaders are taking the time to speak to these audiences-- young and old.

The rise in the number of murders and robberies could be because of a larger issue, such as Hurricane Katrina or the terrorist attacks on September 11th.  We are starting to realize that we should stop and enjoy life, and how important is really is to remember that everyone is an individual with their appreciation for the world around them.  This could be the reason for the record number of failed marriages as people begin to explore what they find most important in life.  We are encouraging individuality and uniqueness, as well as embracing positive changes such as the first edition of U.S. News and World Report releasing a ranking specifically for the nations Black Colleges and Universities.

As new firsts emerge and these changes continue to become an integral part of the way we live, it's important to just stop and take in these shifts before years go by and we never even realize they occurred.

Are We Bad Parents?

My best friend Kelly is a kindergarten teacher.  She has 29 children in her class.  Normally, she says that maybe 2 or 3 are disruptive, don't listen, and don't respond to threats.  This year, Kelly has 14 kids like that.  What's different?  Kelly thinks it's the fact that this is the first group of kids she's had born after September 11.  She speculates that this event affected parents so much that they never set limits, they never said no to their children.  (And here in the Washington area, 9/11 was followed by the sniper - which didn't help matters much.)

One of my sisters - she has six kids - once told me to never feel sorry for my children.  If you feel sorry for them, they got ya.  Over the years, I've come to think she's right - and now we have a nation of people feeling sorry for our kids because of scary incidents like 9/11 or the sniper. 

Which may explain the growing success of a book by psychologist David Walsh: No: Why Kids—of All Ages—Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It. Walsh says our kids are suffering from a discipline deficit disorder.  What I find fascinating about the book is that teaching professionals are pushing it.  From U.S. News & World Report:

In Minnesota, Walsh's home state, a "Say Yes to No" coalition of educators and PTA parents sent "tool kits" touting the book...to 2,500 principals before school began last week...School principals from Indiana, South Carolina, and several other states are getting set to work No into teacher training sessions.

Kelly told me that on her back to school night, she was firm with the parents about setting limits and saying no to their children.  Again, our teachers are telling parents how to behave.  When and how did we stop parenting?

Supporting the competition

It is very rare that a company encourages a customer to support a competitor.  However, upon reading this recent email in my inbox, I found Yahoo Photos to be doing just that.

"Dear Yahoo! Photos user,

"For some time now, we've supported two great photo sharing services: Yahoo! Photos and Flickr. But even good things come to an end, and we've decided to close Yahoo! Photos to focus all our efforts on Flickr — the award-winning photo sharing community that TIME Magazine has called "completely addictive."

Until then, we are offering you the opportunity to move to another photo sharing service (Flickr, KODAK Gallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish, or Photobucket). We're making the transfer real simple, and with a couple clicks we'll automatically move your photos to Flickr or wherever you want them. You can also download your original-resolution photos back to your computer, or buy an archive CD from our featured partner (for users of the New Yahoo! Photos only). All you need to do is tell us what to do with your photos before we close, after which any photos remaining on Yahoo! Photos will be deleted and no longer accessible.

I am a Snapfish user and had actually forgotten I had old photos in my Yahoo Photos account.   My first reaction was dread.  I assumed Yahoo would make transferring to Flickr easier since they also own them but transferring anywhere else would be a hassle, time-consuming and difficult.  I put the transfer off for a few days and then transferred them to Snapfish.  And, guess what? It was easy and really did only take a few clicks of the mouse to transfer everything.  What a novel idea- a company putting a consumer's time and interests above their own product and bottom line.

Yahoo got it.  When they decided to shut down their Photos section, they probably knew they would lose customers but to them it was better to concentrate on one product (Flickr) and do it right, rather than be spread too thin and lessen the quality of the products.  So even though I don't use Flickr, I still support Yahoo and their efforts.  And who knows, I may even give Flickr a try sometime.

You're Renting What?

Springwise had an interesting post today about a type of rental service that I've never heard of before.  It just seems to make sense. 

"German Lütte-Leihen came up with a solution [to the costly adventure of newborns growing out of their clothes every few months]: a layette rental service for a fixed fee per month. Parents can choose from different sets of onesies, pajamas and outerwear. The clothes are delivered by post (or by hand to Hamburg and its suburbs). Once babies grow out of a size, the set can be exchanged for the next size up, free of charge. Like NetFlix for baby clothes."

"Lütte-Leihen's 9 – 11 piece sets come in a limited range of neutral colors and patterns, and include everything from bodysuits and pajamas to socks and hats. Pricing ranges from EUR 17 – 26 per month, depending on which set is selected. The clothing may be used, but it’s in great condition; the items are only used for short while by each baby, and there's not much wear and tear in the first six months. Moreover, most of the clothing provided Lütte-Leihen is made from 100% organic cotton."

This seems like a service that so many people have needed at one point or another.  There are plenty of families that are not thrilled about spending money every few months to replace entire wardrobes for their babies, and this seems like the perfect way to always have the right size clothes on hand.  The trend of renting things-- from homes to pets to cars to clothes, is something that is more popular now than ever.  The practical aspect of services like this is something we have grown to appreciate.

Want to Know about the Fish You're eating? Ask the U.S. Government

When I eat seafood, I don't normally think about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA).  But the good folks at Resource Shelf recently pointed me to a new service from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service - FishWatch.

Seafood lovers can find out the latest information on some 30 species of fish - with more on the way.  There is information about the sustainability of different species and the health hazards and health benefits of eating seafood. 

This is a great example of transparency and information sharing that could not have been done before the Internet.  Certainly the timeliness of the information and data they collect would not have been available so quickly.  It's also a wonderful illustration of how scientific information can be presented in a way that feels helpful and not overwhelming.  It's what using the Internet is all about. 

Does This Diet Make my Footprint Look Smaller??

As an overachiever, I'm always looking for ways to make myself better.  I am constantly trying to plan for the future, figure out how to do the best I can in the moment, save money, take care of myself, be a good person, take care of others, and stay happy.  Sometimes this is a tough thing to accomplish without becoming stressed-- which can make me act like a different person.  It's like a vicious circle.

I think a lot of other people feel the same way I do.  We are all so busy and we feel that we have capabilities to fill roles that we couldn't fill in the past and are trying to take full advantage.  Technology has changed our lives and has made a lot of things easier-- but this doesn't mean we want to do less.  We always want more.  We want to accomplish more during our days but we also want more sleep.  We want to save money but we still want to spend it on luxury items we may not necessarily be able to afford.  We want to be successful at work but we still want family time.  We want huge homes but we don't get to spend time in them because we have to work so hard to be able to pay our mortgages.  Basically, we want everything. 

Because the environment has been a topic that has gotten lots of attention lately, and global warming is on a lot of our minds, the concept of carbon offsets has become big news to a lot of people.  When I think of carbon offsets I immediately think of travel by plane and the option of paying for carbon offsets from our flights-- that sort of thing.  Apparently, I need to think outside the box.  The Washington Times published a short piece on a unique diet coined by Laura Stec, a chef from San Francisco, who has created "The Global Warming Diet."

She realizes that food choice has a big effect on climate change and wrote a 250-page  book packed with vegetarian items, scientific claims from the United Nations and the Union of Concerned Scientists, as well as guides for "discussion" parties.  She says, "One of the most positive effects you can have on the environment begins on your dinner plate."

Here are some shocking statistics from the article:

• It takes 10 times more fossil fuel to produce a calorie of meat than a calorie of plant protein.
• Flatulent cows and methane-producing manure piles contribute to 18% of all greenhouse gases-- the equivalent of 33 million cars on the nation's roadways.
• 11 pounds of grain and 2,500 gallons of water go into making a hamburger.
• The average meal travels 1,500 miles to get to your dinner plate.
• Americans consume more than 1 billion pounds-- and 1 trillion calories of food each day.

The fact that our idea of a "diet" may not just revolve around losing weight, but also focus on the good of the environment is a good sign.  Cutting out meat altogether seems like an extreme move to me, but I would be willing to buy locally and make vegetarian meals every now and then.  We will probably see more of this type of thing in the future as more attention is paid to our world and the impact we have on our environment.  Making a few small changes is definitely doable, but I can't see myself hosting a "discussion party" anytime soon.

Information Therapy - User Generated Wellness

Managed Care. Magazine recently ran an article about Information Therapy. What is information therapy?

"... the practice of providing more and better information to patients so they can contribute more to their healing...the term information therapy applies to a wide range of uses and situations. For some providers, information therapy is literally a physician-written prescription telling a patient to read specific information, learn it, and apply it. For others, information therapy is used to help a patient make treatment decisions, such as whether to continue chemotherapy."

There's even The Center for Information Therapy - a non-profit which gives support to both doctors and patients. 

This is personalization at its best.  One doctor said, "The greatest untapped capacity in health care is the patient.  Engagement of the patient is powerful and allows for outcomes that aren't available with any other approach."

It sounds a lot like user-generated content - or in this case - user generated wellness.

Thanks to Resource Shelf for the link.

Flickr photo by Anti-Social Butterfly

Straight from the Tap

We are bombarded with advertisements every single day.  We see ads when we walk around outside, when we read the newspaper, and when we watch TV.  It's a challenge now for advertisers to create ad campaigns we really notice that stand out in the crowd of thousands we are exposed to on a daily basis.

One ad campaign I found out about in Brandweek really surprised me: the new "Get your fill" campaign-- gloriously paid for by the taxpayers of New York City-- promotes tap water to residents and tourists.  Apparently, New York is one of only five U.S. cities that has a federal filtering waiver, yet, many children and adults have the preconceived notion that the city's water is not drinkable.  This may be partially due to the overexposure of people walking around with bottled water (which is still proving to be a very profitable business).  No matter what the cause, Mayor Bloomberg has taken notice and is doing all he can to change viewpoints.

The campaign will spend $700,000 and will post ads throughout the subway system, check-cashing stations and bus kiosks in hopes that use of city water will increase along with awareness. 

I know I have blogged a lot about water (especially bottled water or negative effects on the environment) and I most likely will continue to post articles or information in the future because water is so important.  Water is something that we as a nation often waste and take for granted, and I think the ad campaigns are a little obvious, yet, interesting.  I'm not sure that all taxpayers would agree that this is a good use of $700,000-- but the long-term effects could be worth it.  I think the fact Mayor Bloomberg even feels it's important to advertise tap water shows the way our societal viewpoint is shifting.  We are taking notice of the types of things we should focus more on as unit and are trying to come up with ways to get the word out.  We have realized that togetherness can pay off and that our environment is something that should be on the top of our priority list.

New Words in the Dictionary

  Merriam-Webster recently announced some of the 100 new words they've added to the newest edition of their collegiate dictionary.   If a word appears often enough in the mainstream press, and if they think it has staying power, then the editors there will define it and officially add it to the dictionary. 

So what's new?  Here's the list they released:

1. agnolotti
2. Bollywood
3. chaebol
4. crunk
5. DVR
6. flex-cuff
7. ginormous
8. gray literature
9. hardscape
10. IED
11. microgreen
12. nocebo
13. perfect storm
14. RPG
15. smackdown
16. snowboardcross
17. speed dating
18. sudoku
19. telenovela
20. viewshed

I confess that I've never heard of agnolotti, chaebol, flex-cuff, gray literature, hardscape, microgreen, nocebo and viewshed.  Seems like a lot of these words are basically from pop culture:  telenovela, crunk, Bollywood, speed dating, perfect storm, smackdown, sudoku, DVR.  These words seem so of the moment - yet they are understood by almost everyone in American society.  I guess only time will tell if they are merely historical words - to decribe an event or product or idea that has passed (crunk?) or whether they continue to be used far into the future (ginormous gets my vote).

Personalize Everything for Us Please

The population mark in the United States recently topped 300 million. There are so many of us sharing similar goals and buying similar products. We commute to and from work and see other people with the exact same cars and the same routines we have each day. Sometimes we get tired of this and go to great lengths to make what we have different from what everyone else has. We love finding ways to make things our own and bring our unique styles to the forefront and enjoy standing out. We crave personalization in America.

From custom stamps to clothing to video games and popular websites which are based on the concept of customization like MySpace and Facebook, being able to create a space that is all your own is definitely catching on. And this isn’t something that just kids enjoy—adults are even more obsessed with personalization than kids are in some respects. Companies like Google, which created “iGoogle,” a personalized search homepage that has become the fastest-growing product by a number of new users have realized the importance of this trend. Apparently, about 9,000 iGoogle pages are created each day.

Advancements in technology have made it possible to bring the “make-it-yourself” trend to anyone with a computer and with time to spend. Lucasfilm posted 250 sections of “Star Wars” clips from 6 movies to the Internet for people to edit and rearrange in any order they like best. Fans can then add to or cut the clips and decide if they would like to post them to MySpace or a similar social-networking site. This gives everyone a chance to take their favorite clips and create something that is all their own. Everyone wins.

People who rely on us as customers have also started to take notice of our feelings about personalization. Comedian Jim Gaffigan promised to stay at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center after his stand-up performance until he met everyone who was interested in meeting him. He has kept this same promise every evening after each of his shows on his 30-city concert tour. His connection with his fans on a personal level creates an environment that everyone is happy to be in.

Consumers and businesses see the appeal of personalized products and services and are doing what they can to keep up with competition and create new and innovative ideas that will surprise us. We love anything that will make our lives easier, create shortcuts for tasks and responsibilities that we already have, and represent us as individuals.

Water Skin?

I found a really great post on Springwise.com about a new type of bottled that could serve as an alternative to traditional plastic bottles used today.

Pitched as a water skin, a new bottle created by French packaging manufacturer Sidel provides a lighter alternative to traditional PET bottles. A regular plastic half-litre water bottle weighs 13 – 16 grams. Sidel's "NoBottle" weighs just 9.9 grams. According to Sidel, "Water is the largest beverage market by volume with 160 billion litres consumed in 2006. It also represents the highest growth sector and is expected to expand by 5.7 percent annually between now and 2010." On that scale, waste reduction of 20-30% adds up.

The innovation was made possible by using a highly flexible type of plastic with shape-memory, which lets the bottle bounce back into shape after being gripped or otherwise compressed. While calling a plastic water bottle eco-friendly smacks of greenwashing, Sidel's NoBottle is definitely is eco-friendlier. The potential waste reduction is significant and offering a lighter bottle — and its story — could boost sales for beverage makers marketing to green-aware consumers. NoBottle will be officially introduced at K 2007, an international trade fair in October.

I know that awareness is increasing across the globe and that we are starting to understand our environmental impact.  While this is a good idea for sure, we need to keep in mind that we should avoid one-time-use bottles when we have other alternatives.  The fact that companies are developing other means to continue making products that we demand on a daily basis shows that we hate to make changes that we feel could be inconvenient.  Hopefully we will find a way to keep everyone happy and healthy.

Shop Happy

I rarely pay much attention to commercials on TV.  I have Tivo and skip through most of them or just flip the channels if watching TV live.  However, I keep seeing commercials for Bloom grocery stores and I am intrigued.  I have never been to one of their stores, only  because the closest one to my house is 15 miles away, but I really want to.   The commercial has a catchy jingle and their tag line is "Bloom, a different kind of grocery store.” 

Most people would probably list more things they dislike about going to the grocery store than things they like.   They're crowded, lines are long, selection is bad, produce isn't fresh, etc.  Bloom claims to be a grocery store designed by grocery shoppers for grocery shoppers.  What a novel idea.   Convenience and technology are the driving forces of how Bloom differentiates itself from other grocery stores.  A recent article explains:

Bloom emphasizes placing items logically so they're easy to find. For example, all breakfast items such as eggs, bacon and cereal are in one aisle. Non-food items such as dog food, paper products and cleaning supplies are on one side of the store. Food items are displayed together.  Frozen items are closer to the checkout section, so items won't melt before they're taken out of the store.  Bloom's shelves are lower than in the average supermarket, with the goal of ensuring products are easy to reach.  The guest services area at the front of the store offers a variety of convenient services for customers, including bill payment, copying and faxing, gift cards, money orders, hunting and fishing licenses, shipping of packages and Western Union services.

One of the biggest technology assets are the personal scanners that allow customers to scan items as they put items in their cart, thus alleviating long check out lines.

Key technologies include personal scanners and information kiosks. The personal, handheld scanners are located in a rack at the front of the store.  "You scan your card when you come into the store, then one of the scanners lights up," she said. "You take [the scanner], and you can scan and bag your groceries as you go through the store. Then when you check out, you simply hit "end of trip," scan your card, and it's automatically totaled. You just pay and go."  A random check may occur periodically to help ensure items are scanned in properly.  She emphasized that Bloom is "all about options" and customers can always go through the traditional checkout process with a cashier handling the transaction.  Customers can also prepare their shopping lists online at www.shopbloom.com, download them at the kiosk and print the lists by aisle location order.

I like that their logo is "shop happy."  It shows that they realize grocery shopping can be a pain and they are trying to make it a fun (or at least more fun) experience.  They are appealing to our emotions and realize our time is just as important as our money.   Customer service is emphasized, as are shopping options.  Has anyone been? I'd love to hear some first hand stories.

More on the 411

Last week, I wrote about how anyone can text Google for all sorts of information.  To follow up on this, I just found out that if texting isn't your thing, you can also just call Google and get similar information.  And it's FREE.  FREE.  You don't have the usual $1.99 charges that apply from calling 411.

From Google:

To try this service, just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411) from any phone.

Using this service, you can:

• search for a local business by name or category. You can say "Giovanni's Pizzeria" or just "pizza".
  
• get connected to the business, free of charge.
  
• get the details by SMS if you’re using a mobile phone. Just say "text message".
  
  And it's free. Google doesn’t charge you a thing for the call or for connecting you to the business. Regular phone charges may apply, based on your telephone service provider.

Skyecade sees endless possibilities for this techonology:

If Google can iron out all the kinks in this technology, the possibilities will be endless. Why limit themselves to a mere phone directory. You're already connecting to (and searching through) Google's massive databases via a phone connection, why not pass them other search terms? For example, need to know  John Adams birth date in a pinch? - Just bare with me.- With this technology, Google could simply forward the user's query to a site like Wikipedia, or even use their own built in define operator, i.e., define: John Adams.  Now all Google would have to do is read you the results, which is what they are already doing in Goog 411.

It will be interesting to see where they take this.

I have to agree- the technology is fascinating and Google continues to make our lives easier and best of all, it's free!  I'm a fan.

The new way to 411

Everyone knows how useful Google is for finding, well, anything.  But did you know you can use Google even when you're away from your computer?   You can now send a text message to Google (466453) If you're out and about and need directions, phone numbers, weather reports, flight information, and the list goes on and on.  (Go to http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/ for a full listing.) 

For flight arrival/departure info, type in your flight number

Send a text message of "w [city name]" to get a four-day weather forecast

Get translations of foreign words by sending "t [word or phrase] in [language]"

For local listings, text "[what you're looking for] [place name or zip code]"--such as "bbq denver co"

Text "[amount and currency] in [new currency]"--such as "2000 mxn in usd"--to do a currency conversion

For basic driving directions, text "[place or zip] to [place or zip]"--for example, "phoenix az to 86336"

Within seconds, you will get a reply text with whatever it is you're looking for.  And best of all, it's free. (Well, the usual text messaging rates apply, but I'm sure it's cheaper than the usual cost of dialing 411.)   This is just another example of how Google is adding convenience to our lives, and literally, putting the world and information right at our fingertips. 

Angie's List

Our colleague Sandy Moore writes about her experience with a service that's basically local, word-of-mouth (via the Internet), and all about crowdsourcing.  The key to Angie's List is the trust Sandy has in other consumers like herself   --Nellie Lide

I’m pretty good at juggling – a fulltime job, two kids, husband with long hours, new puppy (who is sick and needs antibiotics twice a day which no one can get him to swallow but me), plus the weekly soccer practice-ballet lesson-Girl Scout meeting-playdate scheduling and overall “stuff” coordination required as a 21st century working parent.  I do the meal planning – my husband does the grocery shopping.  I do the babysitter scheduling and payment – he is the IT person.  I mow and garden – he goes to Home Depot.  We both try to get the car into the shop every once in awhile.

What baffles us is basic home maintenance.  Oh, I can change an air filter or two, lower the temperature on the hot water tank, or even stop the toilet from running, but electrical projects overwhelm me, as do any tasks that require sanding, sealing, or standing on tall ladders.  Luckily, there is a terrific website called Angie’s List that ranks service companies based on geographic region.  Say you live in Silver Spring, Maryland and you have termites.  Just type in “Pest Control / Exterminating” and your address and 10 bug-elimination companies pop up, complete with contact information, grades from A to F and local reviews.

I think of Angie’s List as an online Consumer Reports customized to my neighborhood.  In the past six months, I’ve hired an electrician, roofer, handyman, exterminator, fence-builder and pet-walking service.  I’ve taken my car to a recommended mechanic and my dog to a recommended vet.  I always mention that I found them through Angie’s List; some respond positively, some are surprised to find out they are listed and some do not know what Angie’s List is.

Here is what it is – a privately held for-profit company founded by an Indianapolis entrepreneur named Angela Hicks.  She started her first chapter in Columbus, Ohio, in 1995.  According to the website, more than 20,000 people use the service, members submit 5,000 reports a month, and overall there are more than half a million members in 124 cities.  You can join for $6.95 a month or $53 dollars a year, plus a $10 sign-up fee.  It has only been available in Washington since January of 2006.  A Washington Post July 2006 article described it as:

“...a very large community bulletin board where neighbors exchange references and anecdotes about carpenters, roofers, landscapers and appliance stores.” Companies do not pay to be on the list but can run ads in a hard-copy magazine sent by snail mail. 

Over the years, I have used the non-profit Washington Consumers’ Checkbook which rates local services, but there are differences.  The hard copy comes out twice a year and while the website is available all the time, it is only updated every six months.  Services fall into six categories:  Cars & trucks, Your Home, Health Care (including doctors and hospitals, not available on Angie’s List), Getting Things Fixed, Personal Services and Other (banks, hardware stores, etc.)  Overall, Checkbook has fewer categories of services but significantly more reports on each.  The auto body section alone contains 150 different outlets with ten ratings each.  It is also cheaper at $34 for a two-year subscription.

Angie’s List has saved me more than once.  The week before Thanksgiving, my washer and dryer died.  I bought a new set but apparently the power required was greater than my circuit box was willing to provide.  I had two weeks of laundry piled up, a traveling husband and a houseful of guests arriving in days.  I found a local electrician who replaced my system the next day, wrapping up at 8:00 pm.  He was great but a bit expensive, which I reported in my online evaluation.  Obviously Internet savvy, he gave me a hard time at the next electrical emergency:  “I can’t believe you said I was expensive!”  Reviews clearly are not anonymous.

If you have a problem, there is a dispute resolution service.  That has not happened to me yet but is a reassuring thought.  You can also give a membership as a gift.  My mother-in-law asked me to look up local contractors so often that I bought her a membership for Christmas.  How else can you track down someone who will rebuild your brick fireplace?

My membership lasts another six months.  I don’t know if I’ll renew –
It depends on what services I’ll need at that time.  I thought I’d rely on it for home maintenance, but with categories like insurance agencies, mulch and topsoil and piano tuning, the categories – and the home/life improvement projects – are endless.

TV News and Print News - Destined to Merge?

I've always thought that someday the 3 (4?) major broadcast networks would consolidate their newsgathering operations into one global brand.  I think that because they all do the same thing - and none of them have the resources anymore to do it as well as they'd like. 

Now, I see Mark Cuban is calling for convergence of both print and television.  He argues that some of the print brands (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, etc..) are the most trusted names in news:

Riddle me this Batman: Rupert Murdoch has figured out that Print and TV can be combined to be a vertical news organization and is willing to pay 5 billion dollars to do it. Why has no one else realized the value of combining big news brands and organizations ?

Why isn't a CBS News merging their news department with a NY Times and rebranding itself as the 6pm NY Times News ? Or with Time Magazine News ? Or NBC News and ???

With newsroom cuts a daily occurrence, why wait until you've been bled to death?

Of course, this does bring up the questions of putting the reporting of news in fewer hands, but with the Internet/blogs/podcasts and millions of amateur journalists at the ready, is this really true?  We'll see.

The Landline Telephone Fading Away

I still have a landline telephone - I have a cell phone, but don't use it much.  The landline represents security to me, I'm not sure why.  But so many of my younger relatives and colleagues don't bother with a landline, their cellphone is it.  And now comes some numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics, confirming my suspicion that landlines are gradually fading.

• During the last 6 months of 2006, more than 3 out of every 20 American homes (15.8%) did not have a landline telephone.
• One in four adults aged 18-24 years (25.2%) lived in households with only wireless telephones.
• Nearly 30% of adults aged 25-29 years lived in households with only wireless telephones.

So gradually, we're going mobile.  I would feel sorry for the telephone companies except they're making a killing on text messaging and cell phones.  Will hotels eventually take out the landlines in their rooms, expecting their guests to have cell phones?  Will airports remove phone booths? 

How do you tell time?

What time is it? Believe it or not, how you find the answer to that question says something about your age.   Did you look at your watch? Or perhaps you looked at your ipod or blackberry?  A recent study by NPD Group found that 25% of people under age 25 no longer wear watches while at least 25% have never worn watches.   According to Simmons Research:

In 2000, watch sales among 18- to 24-year-olds reached nearly $1 billion in the USA; by 2005, sales had dropped 34%. Even among 35- to 49-year-olds, who spend the most on watches, sales decreased 28% over five years, from $2.4 billion to $1.7 billion.

As a result of all this, watch makers are having to market watches more as accessories and jewelry than actual timepieces.  They are having to adapt to today's society and update their products accordingly.   If they don't, sales of watches will only continue to decline.

Graduation

With many area schools celebrating years of their students' hard work right now, I thought it would be interesting to find out a little bit more about graduation.

• Apparently, The Class of 2007 includes more than 3.3 million high school graduates, about 1.5 million college undergraduate degrees, approximately 603,000 Master’s degrees, and more than 50,000 doctorates.
• Harvard was the first American college to hold a commencement ceremony in 1642.
• Graduation gowns reflect the general manner of dress in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance period.
• The four-sided graduation cap first appeared in the 16th century in Scotland. It originally was known as a “trencher” cap because it looked like an inverted serving board – a trencher – with a bowl on it. The term “mortarboard” developed in the 19th century.
• High-school graduates in the United States began wearing the now traditional commencement cap and gown in 1908.
• High school graduation is the No. 1 reason for purchasing graduation cards, and the average graduate receives 17.5 graduation cards. Sixty percent of all graduation cards are purchased for high-school graduates.
• College graduation is the No. 2 reason for buying graduation cards, and the average college graduate receives 7.5 cards.

I guess we as a society love to honor specific traditions and will never get tired of recognizing a friend or family member for time we consider well-spent.  Even though we are becoming more and more accustomed to sending out emails when we have words of encouragement or thanks, we still value the art of giving and getting a card every now and then.

Changing the Bible?

I found an interesting article today which, to me, is a good indication of how we as a society are changing our habits and traditions. 

The Bible in glossy magazine format...

The Bible has been turned into a glossy magazine by Dag Söderberg a former Swedish advertising executive. The magazine is titled, "The Book" and it is a complete unedited text of the Old Testament. Mr. Söderberg has high hopes for his magazine and has said: “I want it to be well spread, to create a buzz. I want people to start taking it to dinner parties, instead of flowers. That way, perhaps everyone can have a Bible on their table without causing too much panic.” The magazine is 450 pages complete with modern-day magazine glossy photo illustrations. There are plans to have it translated to English and brought overseas to cater to the 25-50 year old markets and also a New Testament sequel is in the works.

Most people have issues with the Bible,” Söderberg says. “They have never gotten into it. They don’t find it accessible. But it’s our history, our heritage. And for most of us, we relate to it more than we think. Religious or not, it shapes much of our moral codes. (sweden.se)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I definitely was.  It seems that some people believe that the world is ready for new ways to digest old information so we can keep up with traditions of the past.  We are always looking for ways to personalize our lifestyles, and for better and easier ways to accomplish as much as we can in our lives.  I guess religion is no exception.

create your own ringtone

And to follow up on Nellie's post from earlier today, you can now create and sell your own ringtones for your own cell phone company (or any cell phone for that matter.)  A company called Xingtone now lets you create your own ringtones. 

Downloadable at xingtone.com, the software is easy to use, too. Select a song or other audio file and use editing tools to clip out the part you want. Click "send," and the software sends a text message to your phone containing a link to download the ringtone (you'll need Web access from your carrier). Included: a feature to send pictures and voice-recorded ringtones to friends' phones.

After you have created your ringtone(s) you can then set up an online store to sell your ringtones.  It all seems pretty easy and here is one success story from an up and coming band:

Key Promotional Tactics:
1. link to ringtones in web site navigation
2. prominent link to tones on Myspace page
3. word-of-mouth promotion at gigs

In Travis' words: "I basically promote our ringtones through our website, Myspace, and word of mouth when playing clubs, festivals, etc. In our area and genre of music, we are basically the "Hot band" for the style of music we do in Louisiana. We are also the only band locally that features ringtones to our fans. Cajun/Zydeco is not a huge market like country, rock, etc., but there are musicians that play around the world for a living doing that kind of music!

Even if you are not in a band but just love music, you can create ringtones and sell them. This is all just one more example