Amazon.com is teaming with manufacturers to entice them to ship their products with less waste and to be able to allow people to have less frustration when opening product packaging. In a world that is moving towards greener times, this is a welcomed project Amazon is leading.

For parents who have dealt with this ridiculous packaging when opening toys for their children and realizing that it would take nearly 20 minutes to do so… rejoice!

Shortly after I finished my dissection of the terms and conditions for three of my most used sites, I came across a post written by Darren Rowse over at Problogger.net that talks about “Home Bases and Outposts.” It is interesting that these posts went up on the same day because while Darren’s and my posts fundamentally differed with the premise and purpose of the articles, we both hit on a topic that many bloggers, videographers and podcasters should be quite interested in.  It is the concept of a “home base” - a term both Darren and I used in our posts. (more…)

A lot of bloggers talk about a single topic more often than any other - the ownership of data/content.  This is all well and good that the tech elite are so informed about this topic, but it scares me that “normal” social media users (your mom and dad possibly) haven’t a clue in regards to what this even means for them now and in the future. (more…)

Colleen often speaks about Avery’s public restroom tour of America - a tour that, at times, can drive Colleen crazy. At least two times a meal, while we are out to eat, Avery has the urge to go to the ” potty”. No big deal, but as most parents can atest, getting up mid-meal can wear on your nerves. Especially when most trips are simply not “fruitful”.

Then there are the times where the trip becomes immediately worth it because of something that the little mind thinks up and the mouth spouts out. (more…)

Like many Twitter users, I have more than one Twitter account. But for me, the fragmentation was no longer worth it, and I am attempting to bring together all of my personas under the single brand of my name. With that, I was attempting to execute what has proven to be a difficult (if not impossible) task - deleting a Twitter account. Let me be clear by stating that I was not trying to delete my main Twitter account, but simply attempting to delete a secondary (or tertiary for all I can remember) account because of the aforementioned reasons. That is where the puzzlement began. (more…)

Like most people, regardless of the level of love for their work and employer, I typically leave my resume exposed in various locations across the vast interwebs.  Subsequently, I will update the data within the resume at various intervals throughout the year to keep it up-to-date with my latest activities and accomplishments. Some of these sites I use for networking, some I use for business information, others I simply just let my resume sit out as bait, and one particular site will likely never again get my endorsement. (more…)

I have never been one to be quiet about my opinions, and with the email I received this morning from set-top video on demand provider VUDU has me once again thinking… “how does this benefit me?” (more…)

In times of crisis or uncertainty, or so we are told, many people run scared.  But as someone who has dealt with adversity time and time again, that isn’t an option for me.  Sure, the doom and gloom that has struck Wall Street could have had us running to our bank and withdrawing all our money, but that just doesn’t make sense.  In a time when many have lost confidence, isn’t it an opportunity for success if you have (or at least outwardly display) confidence?

I haven’t extracted all of our funds from our local branch office in the last two days, instead I have come up with an economic plan to sooth the dismay.  Some may call it gutsy and others may cringe, but here is my simple two step plan for combating the downturn on Wall Street. (more…)

Over the past few weeks (and months) I have heard more and more companies talking about their digital media strategy.

I recently read a Sapient survey of more than 200 chief marketing officers (CMOs) and senior marketing professionals, all of whom are either directly or indirectly responsible for managing digital marketing budget allocation across multiple channels.  The survey showed what these executives wanted from their agencies today, not next year.

What struck me is that “nearly half (45 percent) of the respondents have switched agencies (or plan to switch in the next 12 months) for one with greater digital knowledge or have hired an additional digital specialist to handle their interactive campaigns.”  This number was staggering as it told me that the opportunity is great for those that understand the space and grim for those that do not. (more…)

Hot doughnuts… The craze that swept the nation only six years ago might soon be a relic of the past.  There is nothing that matches (while equally unhealthy) the taste of a glazed doughnut right off the “assembly line.” That experience, though, is soon to be a forgotten memory, only shared in fireside chats with your children and grandchildren - reliving the past glory of the glazed doughnut.

I can remember waiting in anticipation as the Krispy Kreme location 3 minutes from my home in Austin, TX was slowly built.  Equally clear was the “Hot Now” sign that stayed lit for nearly a year straight.  (more…)