http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Sun, 27 Feb 2005 21:01:57 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/02/27/210157.php Toby BloombergDid you know that television changed the course of the Academy Awards? No, it wasn't Joan dishin' on the red carpet!It was six weeks to showtime and four of the major sponsors had reneged on their agreement to fund the 25th Academy Awards. Back in 1953, the Oscar Awards were financed by the eight major film studios. With the lights about to go out, the Academy had to quickly find $100,000 or the show would not go on.Television networks had been courting the Academy for broadcast rights to air the Award show for sometime. It may seem now like a no brainer for the Academy to explore that option. But keep in mind in 1953, TV was quickly becoming hot competition for film makers. Did the prestigious Academy want to align with the scalawags of the new media who were stealing their customers?A crisis can make for strange bedfellows. The Academy signed an exclusive deal with NBC/RCA for TV and radio rights.RCA Victor had the honor of being the first TV award show sponsor. For $100,000 (which by the way, just covered production costs) they got six commercial breaks and two station ID breaks on the 90-minute program.To borrow a line from Casablanca. "Looks like this was the start of a beautiful friendship." And it was indeed! Jump to Oscar Awards 2005. 25 different sponsors. $1.5 million per 30-second spot. Any votes on how long the show will be this year?Heard it from Media Life Video26091@blogcritics.org Sun, 27 Feb 2005 21:01:57 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/12/14/215547.php Toby BloombergJust when you thought it was safe to put away your Vote Bush and Vote Kerry buttons along comes findings from another political survey. This time it's the political leanings of Jolly Ol' St. Nick himself. Survey says....Santa Claus is probably a Democrat. While Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch are more likely to be members of the Republican party. What does it mean? 1) Democrats are jolly and nice 2) Republicans are mean and nasty 3) The Republican Party needs a better PR agency 4) It doesn't matter if you've been naughty or nice it's who you voted for that counts. 5) Those reindeer are really donkeys with fake antlers 6) The Republican Party's new tag line - "Bah Humbug!" 7) The Democratic Party theme song - Grandma Got Run Over By A Raindeer 8) Air Force One could be replaced by a sled and 8 tiny donkeys Hey, If you care... Zogby International, the research firm, says the margin of error is +/- 2.0 percentage points. Politics23272@blogcritics.org Tue, 14 Dec 2004 21:55:47 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/11/15/204806.php Toby BloombergRight from the "Introduction" I knew Jeanne Torrence Hauer's Millionaire Women would be a different read than other success books about women. In non judgmental style, the author sets the stage by explaining the complex choices women are faced with in today's world.Millionaire Women earns its success from Hauer's skill as a storyteller and her background as a marketer. The book offers a unique look at how and why 16 women began and succeed, beyond all dreams, in their kitchen table businesses. Don't let the words kitchen table fool you, these women entrepreneurs are no light weights when it comes to achieving financial and personal success. Lorraine Tribe, Quest Personnel, an international recruitment firm, had billings of $40 million when she sold her company for almost $5 million (stock and cash). Did you know that the first self-made millionaire in the U.S.was an African American woman? Madam C.J. Walker, founder of C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, made her fortune from hair care products. Some of the other women highlighted include: Doris Christopher - The Pampered Chef, Arlene Lenarz - Mary Kay Cosmestics, Lillian Vernon - Lillian Vernon Corporation, Rian Van Velzen-Bastaansen - Nature's Choice.In addition to inspiring stories, the book provides specific strategies and tactics that any business person can put into practice. Several important, common themes run through each woman's story.1. Find and follow your passion Not everything will be easy. There will be obstacles, but follow your passion. - Doris Chistopher, The Pampered Chef2. Take care of your customers Treat your customers as though they were your grandparents. - Sally Degnan, Two Men and A Truck3. Great people make a great company Our success has been founded on our choice of great people to work with. - Pat Miller, Vera Bradley Designs 4. Build strong, authenic relationships People-based relationships and performance will continue to be most important in the formula for success. - Lorraine Tribe, Quest Personnel 5. Keep life and business in perspective Don't take life too seriously and don't make everything personal. - Cynthia R. Jones, Jones Worley Graphic Design ConsultantsA must read for business owners, those thinking of entering the entrepreneurship world or when your world spins too fast and you need a bit of encouragement. Books22266@blogcritics.org Mon, 15 Nov 2004 20:48:06 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/26/233427.php Toby BloombergThere's a new diva detective on the block...meet sassy Cece Caruso! Cece is West Hollywood cool with the street smarts of a New Jersey Stephanie Plum. In I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason Susan Kandel has crafted a new heroine that is funny, smart and with a panache for vintage clothes. By trade Cece is a biographer of mystery writers. In I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason, her latest assignment is a book about the life of Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of the dashing, never-loose-a-case attorney Perry Mason. Cece's got the Perry Mason stuff down but capturing the essence of Gardner eludes her. In her research Cece discovers a misfiled letter written in 1958 that could help her uncover Gardner's true personality. Maintaining that he was wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife, Joseph Albacco wrote the letter to Gardner pleading for help to prove his innocence. Gardner never took the case. Why? Ah ha! Here is what Cece has been looking for - stories that will help her discover the real Erle Stanley Gardner. What starts out as a self-serving visit to Albacco in prison leads to Cece's entrée as an amateur sleuth. The prison priest convinces Cece that she is Albacco's last chance to find and tell the truth. Time is ticking. A parole hearing is less than three weeks off. There might not be another opportunity. In Perry Mason-like style, Cece reluctantly agrees to take the case. "Me the girl in the silver Camry, I'd been lured by the possibility of answering someone's prayers."Part of Cece's charm is that she doesn't take herself seriously. Her humor is delightful. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Cece on why vintage clothes only come in sizes four and six: "Throughout history, voluptuous girls like myself tended to be ravished by impatient mates, their dresses shed in the heat of passion while our petite counterparts, being inherently less desirable, had ample time to hang up their garments, neatly thus preserving them for posterity on eBay."Interwoven throughout the novel is the tale of Ventura (where Gardner practiced law and wrote the Perry Mason mysteries) from the start of the twentieth century to today. Cece's funky lifestyle in West Hollywood and her passion for vintage clothing adds surreal elements that complement combining the past with the present. The plot has it share of roller coaster twists and turns. Include a glamorous, aging movie star with fabulous clothes, her handsome son with a troubled past, a sexy past lover who is a police detective and you've got a fun new woman detective series...one with style and attitude.Susan Kandel has a "vintage" Hollywood hit with Cece Caruso. Books21471@blogcritics.org Tue, 26 Oct 2004 23:34:27 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/10/17/163755.php Toby Bloomberg"It will not be won on the road; rather it will be decided on the Net." Wrapped in the guise of a techno-thriller, Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency, attempts to accomplish several goals: provide a unique entertaining experience and present information about software security and electronic voting. The plot centers on Chad Davis, a computer researcher, who is about to testify before Congress about the security issues of a new electronic voting system. [Sidebar: Is the hero's name "Chad" a purposeful reminder of the 2000 Florida election?] Meanwhile, the bad guys, criminal hackers, are attempting to compromise the results of a presidential election. The book is positioned as the first interactive hacking adventure. Readers can hack-a-long using a CD-ROM that contains working applications of all the challenges Chad must solve. There's also an accompanying website. Co authors, Dr. Herbert H. Thompson and Spyros Nomikos, are two smart guys, however, they're no Robert Ludlums. The plot is predictable and at times uneven. Some of the writing is awkward such as, "liken to a digital arms dealer." That said the story is a fun, fast read into the lives of hackers and the growing complexities of technology security issues. Where Thompson and Nomiko are at their best is writing about what they know and are passionate about...computer security. Their explanations on complicated issues are easy to understand...even for a non geek-type person. The book includes helpful visuals. There's even a shot of a napkin that Chad Davis uses to illustrate a point about ciphers. By page nineteen I learned more about computer security and hackers than I had ever known. Did you know that companies are creating "ethical hacker groups" to test systems? Did you know that hacking is considered (by some) to be a "profession?" Did you know that chalk hobo signals on sidewalks, called Warchalking, indicate unprotected wireless access? Did you know how simple it can be to hack into a "secure system?"From this reviewer's view, the value of Mezonic Agenda: Hacking the Presidency is in the easy to understand, timely, important information. The book also includes an extensive appendix about US voting history and technology. With many states considering online voting it's critical that we educate ourselves about the what could be virtual "chads."Additional thoughts: This would be a great book to use in an intro computer security class. Wonder if the publisher is tapping that market. Books21090@blogcritics.org Sun, 17 Oct 2004 16:37:55 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/27/003925.php Toby BloombergThe September 26th Sunday NYT Magazine dedicated significant space (including photos over 10 pages) to "The Bloggers on the Bus" - an article about bloggers covering Election 2004. Couldn't help but wonder why the Times took weeks to run an article covering bloggers at the conventions. It seemed a little off. But it was rather fun to learn that Ana Marie Cox (Wonkette) hasn't had to buy dinner and drinks "in months" and that Markos Moulitsas (Daily Kos) feels quilty about not linking to more bloggers, being successful, attracting tons of traffic and oh yeah..."that I make as much money as I do now..." [violin time]. Sometimes even "A List" bloggers sound whiney and spoiled. However, Election 2004 might be considered the tipping point for political and jourmalism blogs. What happens after November 2004? Where will the bloggers go? Will media coverage about blogs go quietly into the good cyber space night? What is the next stop for news junky bloggers? Politics20304@blogcritics.org Mon, 27 Sep 2004 00:39:25 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/26/165724.php Toby BloombergThe innovative folks at TBS interactive marketing are using a double-edge blog strategy to promote Sex and the City. A blog and ads on blogs. One might say that TBS has created an integrated blog campaign. Yeah...it's a "fake blog"... all you blog "purests" get a life...Vote Carrie doesn't pretend to be more than it is...a lighthearted play on politics with a goal of promoting the TV series...a perfectly acceptable marketing use of blogs.Strategy: Vote Carrie Adverblog - Carrie Bradshaw is running for president on the new Cosmopolitan Party ticket. Like all savvy politicians Candidate Carrie has a blog - votecarrie.org complete with interactive polls, survey results and of course Candidate Carrie's platform. It's all in the details...note the ".org" extension.Strategy: Vote Carrie Blog Ads - Running on sites like Blogcritics, Wonkette, Instapundit and MetroBlog.The entire campaign is fun, interactive, supports the brand and is so very Carrie! I had to find out the story behind the strategy. Richard Turner, Director Interactive Marketing for the Superstation, kindly and generously provided a behind the scene explanation along wtih a few insights about the campaign."All of our interactive efforts are designed to convert passive viewers into active participants and, eventually, active viewers." Richard Turner, TBS Director Interactive Marketing.What were the goals/objectives? Primary goal for all of interactive and promotional efforts is to drive ratings; the following is a sub-set of this overarching goal: -To increase consumer awareness of Sex and the City on TBS by capitalizing on topicality of election and popularity of blogs -To 'live' our brand with a fun and humorous take on political blogs -To generate press coverage of innovative promotional effort -To potentially drive site traffic (through links as well as increased relevance for search engines)How were the ads placed? We had a set budget and working within that budget we hand-picked an equal amount of liberal and conservative political blogs. We also folded in independent/nonpartisan political blogs as well as pop culture and opinion-maker blogs.Sidebar: Ads were placed through Blogads. "Just sent out an avalanche of blogads, our biggest single order yet, for Sex and the City. Something I really wouldn't have expected a year ago." - Harry Copeland, Blogads.From Investors: "The growth of blog readership shouldn't be ignored, according to Copeland, whose company brokers blog ads and takes a commission. He said at the start of the year his group of online publications was delivering 5 million impressions a month. The number has increased almost 1,000 percent to 45 million now."What was considered to be "success?"Unfortunately, we can't demonstrably prove increased ratings, so our criteria was number of editorial/press hits and traffic to the blog. By both measures, we consider it a success (although not a cultural phenomena like JibJab's This Land).Important Marketing Questions: Is the Vote Carrie strategy a preview of future marketing trends? Will more brand-blogs use ads on blogs to drive traffic to the adverblog? Would a double-edge blogging campaign work for your brand? Read More -Fake Blogs as a Marketing Tool - TSMI Trade Show Marketing Report -Ranging Cow The Interview - Business Blog Consulting -Ads on Blogs Blogs as Ads - ClickZComplements of Diva Marketing Blog ... An approach to marketing that's fun, bold and savvy...but always strategically aligned with your brand's objective. Culture20293@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:57:24 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/12/140551.php Toby BloombergIf you publish a blog and no one reads it, is it still a blog or is it the ramblings of your inner mind, inner soul or inner child? Most bloggers who send their blogs into the wilds of cyber space want "pings" and readers and hey some feedback every once in awhile would be nice too.What's a blogger to do? First step is to read Biz Stone's post on Blogger Knowledge. Biz has written a comprehensive how-to article on marketing blogs. Some of his ideas are common sense, some you may be doing and some you need to implement. Biz's Blog Marketing Strategies1.Set your blog to "ping" in your blog software program. [Note: A "ping" is a call to action for directories and sites to find and include your blog in their listings. See #9] 2. Make sure you are publishing every post as its very own web page. That makes your entries way more link-able and more attractive to search engines. Links to your blog means traffic to your blog. 3. Write quality content and do it well. 4. Publish regular updates..the more you blog the more traffic you attract. 5. Think of your audience...visualizing the people who might read your blog. 6. Keep search engines in mind. Use post titles and blog page title tags along with your post page archiving. This will automatically give each of your post pages an intelligent name based on the title of your post. Also, try to be descriptive when you blog. A well crafted post about something very specific can end up very near the top results of a search. 7. Keep your posts and paragraphs short. A longer piece every once in awhile is fine but according to Biz most people want to "pop in, read up, and click on." 8. Put your blog URL in your email signature - simple but often overlooked. 9. Submit your address to blog search sites and directories - Top 55 Dirctory and RSS Sites from Robin Good 10. Participate in meme games. A meme is an idea transmitted from person to person like a virus. 11. Advertise. - BlogSnob is a network of free, text-based blog advertisers 12. Link to other blogs. 13. Install a blogroll. 14. Be an active commenter. Try to leave comments on the blogs you read every day. This is in the same vein as linking. Leaving a comment on someone's post can make their day. 15. Pitch your posts via email to other bloggers. 16. Print your blog URL on your business cards, stickers, etc.I'm adding one more to the list - 17. Write for other blogs like Blogcritics! Bonus hint: make sure that links to your own blog are included in the deal.Hey Biz...thanks for missing the hot dogs - you've given us some great ideas! If you have any other strategies add them to the list. Please and thank you! Culture19738@blogcritics.org Sun, 12 Sep 2004 14:05:51 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/08/30/232107.php Toby BloombergFound this on Tuvel:Mitch Arnowitz. -Guy with a blog "googles" a perspective employer prior to his job interview. -Company loves that our blogger friend has researched the firm. -Company returns the favor and "googles" our blogger friend. -Company finds our blogger friend's blog. -Company offers our blogger friend a job...BUT... with the understanding he does not blog during working hours. "I figured I'd still have time to blog on evenings and weekends, but time has proven me wrong. I'm working long hours in this job -- I expected that, after how late my interview had gone -- but what I didn't realize was how valuable my remaining free time would start to be. As much as I enjoy it, blogging on evenings and weekends is time spent away from my wife and son."End Page -Nothing posted since March 2004. -One less blogger in the blogosphere. -From comments posted it was a good blog. -Gedankenpundit you are missed.Lesson Learned If you're blogging from work use the timing thing on your blog software. P.s At least the company allowed our blogger friend to keep his blog. Many companies are insisting that bloggers zap their personal blogs. 1. Some companies consider employees' off-company activities to be a reflection of the organization. [Does this have anything to do with internal branding? Or is it the old "company store" mentality? One has to wonder...] "When you write in a Web log it's making statements in public." Greg Herbert, a lawyer specializing in free speech and intellectual property with the Greenberg Traurig firm in Orlando, Fla. 2. More education needed within the business community 3. More main stream media coverage needed about the smart work that is happening in the biz Complements of a Diva Marketing post. Culture19258@blogcritics.org Mon, 30 Aug 2004 23:21:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/08/18/220310.php Toby BloombergA tisket a tasket Costco's got a casket! Costco Wholesale Corp., the discount store where you can buy tapes, tp, tires and more and more in Huge quantities, is test marketing funeral caskets in a couple of its Chicago burbs stores. Not to worry if you're a bit queezy about the death thing, don't freak...well not too much. Thus far there are no floor models only a kiosk where you can check out the new caskets. What's pretty funny is some of the media headlines. Here are a few of the more amusing ones.... "Costco makes grave decision" - Globe Investor "Shopping for all of life's needs, and more" - nwitimes.com "Costco Wholesalers is testing a lay-away plan, an eternal one" - abc7.com "ATTENTION, COSTCO SHOPPERS: Caskets Available in Aisle 9" - Abbott & Hast Publications A few skull heads photos - on the blog, All SJAUG, All the TimeThe best quote of the month goes to...Bonnie Busch, vice president in Costco's Midwest division. "I hope they don't have any deaths in the family, but if they do I hope we can help people out." Maybe Ms. Busch knows something we don't or perhaps she's found Ponce de Leon's fountain of youth. Culture18810@blogcritics.org Wed, 18 Aug 2004 22:03:10 EDT