Professional bloggers are clearly in 2 camps from my perspective. They're either starving (settling) or making it to the big dance. Allow me to start off by offering that I'm not a professional blogger. I do, however, blog and I read several blogs daily from national power bloggers, up and comers and rookies alike. That being stated, I'm not here to discuss how to write a pro blog, or any kind of a blog for that matter. It's not my place to do so. I'm simply here to offer my two cents and observ…
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Added by David Mark on October 26, 2009 at 8:00am —
7 Comments
I was speaking with my awesome, AWESOME friends this evening at
etagz out of Seattle, WA and we got caught up on the topic of decision-making, or the lack thereof. We were discussing how some folks, at every level, simply will not make concrete decisions. We could safely argree that not making a decision is actually making a decision, but do you really want to pay those consequences? Lets get real here!…
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Added by David Mark on October 15, 2009 at 9:00pm —
3 Comments
I was with my best friend this weekend exchanging some jeans and I politely and curiously pointed out this simple fact to the "sales" clerk (is that what they're called?), "These jeans are MUCH longer than the pair I tried on recently and they're marked as if they should be the same size. Why are jeans of the exact same style, model number and size so inconsistent from one pair to the next?".
His abrupt and coy response, "They're made by humans". Really? That's your answer? I forgive the kid. A…
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Added by David Mark on October 13, 2009 at 8:44am —
3 Comments
We hear, "Let it go, Get over it (her or him), Move on" and so on very often. What about "Hold On!"? What I mean is holding on to something or someone who is
truly worth holding on to. Lets face it, we all place different values on different things. What may be of importance to you may be petty to the rest of us. Who am I to say your overwhelming collection (clutter) of porcelain Wizard of Oz figurines in the living room is silly? Who am I to say your boyfriend or husband is bad for you?…
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Added by David Mark on October 6, 2009 at 8:30am —
1 Comment
The shopping habits of women will always intrigue me. My curiosity started as child when my dear Aunt Mary would draaaag me to the mall where I eventually found myself being entertained with her sly shopping behavior. Aunt Mary was, and is, the queen of bargain shopping! She'll drop $500 in a nanosecond, only to return back to the crime scene 24 hours later to return/exchange the exact items she so desperately had to own. Why? To get a better deal for starters - a remarkably better deal.
Aunt M…
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Added by David Mark on April 16, 2009 at 9:22am —
2 Comments
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about a marketing position I'm attempting to fill. I shared with my pal that I interviewed a nice person with an undergrad degree in marketing from a very reputable school and is currently obtaining a masters degree. Sounds nice, right? Afterall, I have a marketing position available and the candidate is well-educated (within marketing), friendly and professional. So, why haven't I drafted an employment agreement yet?
There was something missing. I w…
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Added by David Mark on March 26, 2009 at 8:00am —
10 Comments
Whenever I've read a headline for a job offering, it's usually grossly exaggerated and cheezy. You know the ones that sound to good to be true:
Make Big Money Now!
Does Your Current Job Make You Six Figures?!
Make Six Figures Working Part Time From Home!
Uh huh. Where can I sign up?…
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Added by David Mark on January 13, 2009 at 3:00pm —
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Who else is tired of hearing this excuse from your prospects during the holidays? Why wait? Let's get this done now (or not) and celebrate, or move on without the lie! I hear this sorry statement starting around Thanksgiving and it picks up a horrendous pace about, well, right as I'm typing this post. The problem waiting until next year is not knowing exactly what that means. Is it January 01, or sometime around April Fools Day? The second worse excuse is people using the "I'm trying to catch up…
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Added by David Mark on December 11, 2008 at 2:33pm —
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Stop it! You're annoying me!
I'll admit I'm a hypocrite and I catch myself daily using annoying expressions to make a point. But, BUT, I am getting better at not using them because they're just, well, annoying! I feel compelled to share these asinine adages with you on a larger scale…
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Added by David Mark on December 8, 2008 at 12:30pm —
8 Comments
I couldn't help but Giggle for Google :-p when I discovered this recently:
(Excerpt)
Life's full of stupid people asking you stupid questions they could easily Google, but LM's here to help: submit the offending query, and LM'll create a link to a Google page where it types said question into the search bar in front of the buffoon's very eyes, provides actual Google results, and asks "Was that so hard?"...proving that life's also filled with obnoxious (fill in the blank).
Destroy your friends'…
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Added by David Mark on December 5, 2008 at 1:00pm —
2 Comments
Konjo is a Japanese term that, in the American vernacular, would roughly translate as “Guts”, or innermost personality. It suggests courage under adversity, intestinal fortitude, and a dogged tenacity in the face of physical hardship, pain or even danger. This is an admirable quality in anyone.
…
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Added by David Mark on December 5, 2008 at 12:30am —
1 Comment
I always get inspired when I see people have the courage to quit mediocrity (or something resembling it!) and choose to make a difference at any level. Whether it's a career change, relationship change, move across state lines, start a 501 entity, lose weight, or go back to school after 20 years, it's all great. One of Smaller Indiana's very own, Lori Compton, is doing just that.
Congratulations Lori!
Article from today:
Redrawing her future
Longtime makeup artist and muralist…
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Added by David Mark on December 3, 2008 at 12:43pm —
2 Comments
In spirit of the Smaller Indiana Tee Shirt Contest, I'd like to share some interesting articles on branding.
Besides during work hours and mandatory uniform requirements (if applicable), would you wear your brand on a tee shirt (publicly)?
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/12/the_tshirt_rule.html
http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2008/09/do_you_pass_the_tshirt_test.html
http://www.feverbee.com/2008/04/the-pr-t-shirt.html
http://www.corporate-eye.com/2008/08/would-your-customers-wear-your…
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Added by David Mark on November 18, 2008 at 2:23pm —
2 Comments
Please bear with me as I set the stage here...
My daughter and I have a weekend ritual revolving around visiting either, or both, Half-Price Books and Borders. She's a book freak and she's a very advanced reader. I admit this is something I adore about her, but on this particular weekend I discovered something more admirable - something we all should take ownership in regradless of age.
We chose to grab a bite at Mickie D's prior to visiting the bookstore. She selected a Happy Meal this time a…
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Added by David Mark on November 2, 2008 at 11:30am —
1 Comment
Check this out:
http://www.openforum.com/marketing/video_socialgood.html
What's your opinion?
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Added by David Mark on October 23, 2008 at 11:00pm —
1 Comment
I'm almost embarrassed to ask the question, but what is a Hoosier? I've lived here most of my life and I've heard nothing short of a thousand definitions. By the way, the ones I've heard to date are lame and I'm hoping they're merely a weak attempt to satisfy my curiosity versus being the "real" thing. I Googled 'Hoosier' and stumbled across Wikipedia and once again I was let down. Here's an excerpt from their site: "...the etymology of the word is unknown, but it has been in use since at least…
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Added by David Mark on October 19, 2008 at 9:06pm —
3 Comments
Target Jim and Mary.
Research has uncovered quite an interesting effect that guides customer brand choices. They call it the "name letter branding effect." The NLB effect shows that customers are more likely to choose a brand name that has the same letters as their first name than they are other, equally attractive, brands. For example, if your name is Jonathan, you might prefer a Japanese tea called Jonoki over one called Elioki. But if your name is Elizabeth, you'd prefer Elioki.
Why i…
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Added by David Mark on September 18, 2008 at 12:30am —
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