>There’s a new chief in town

>A chief blogger, that is. Larger corporations such as Dell, Coca-Cola and Marriott are now actively recruiting people to tell their company’s story via blogging and try and further engage and interact with their consumers. To date, only a little over 11% of Fortune 500 companies have corporate blogs, according to SocialText.

With the rising popularity of the blogs, this figure surprised me some considering how mainstream blogging is becoming. I feel blogging is a way to express personal opinions on topics and be heard even though you are the “little guy” in the industry – this notion is perhaps why more smaller companies are actively blogging.

Can these small companies go out and recruit the chief blogger, just as larger companies have? Sure. Will they? Probably not. Just as in our company’s case we are certainly not going to go out and hire a chief blogger, but will I call myself a chief blogger if the situation calls for it? Absolutely.

>A lesson from Randy Pausch

>
As many of you probably know, there is a remarkable man named Randy Pausch fighting for his life at this very moment. Pancreatic cancer will soon take him from his young family, as the doctors do not expect him to live more than a few more months. (Randy’s blog and Last Lecture on Oprah) Given the recent passing of Tim Russert, I felt it necessary to honor this man while he is still with us.

A good friend of mine confided in me he had to reveal to a client their past six months worth of research was sent into “cyber la-la land” and there was no way to get that information back. This is one of their largest clients – how do you even begin to fix it? Randy Pausch has the answer – make the apology REAL and SINCERE.

As Randy states, “A good apology has three parts:
1. I’m sorry.
2. It was my fault.
3. How do I make it right?

The last part tells about your sincerity.”

This lesson applies to all aspects of life – including clients. When my friend approaches their client, he will follow these steps Randy Pausch has suggested… but, he is also coming in with ways on how to fix it. We can all take a lesson from this – if you do make a mistake: apologize, own it and fix it.

>When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.

>Initially, this Facebook group just made me laugh. Whether that is because I am easily entertained or not is a different story all together – but, think about that for a minute. The children growing up now will be educated with the solar system as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. No Pluto.

This is quite a turning point in history, just as we will always remember Columbine, where we were when the read the OJ Simpson verdict on TV or how scared (and small) we felt on 9/11. Granted, this event isn’t as tragic by any stretch of the imagination – but still significant.

This all began a mear two years ago when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) demoted Pluto to a “dwarf planet” status. Last week, the IAU took another jab at Pluto and requested Pluto from here on out referred to as a “plutoid” – a word not even recognized in the English language. To read the whole story, please visit here.

>And the winner is…

>


Zurich, Switzerland. This city was named by BusinessWeek as the world’s best place to live.

Who else was made the list?

1. Zurich, Switzerland
2. Vienna, Austria (tied)
2. Geneva, Switzerland (tied)
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Auckland, Australia
6. Dusseldorf, Germany
7. Munich, Germany (tied)
7. Frankfurt, Germany (tied)
9. Bern, Switzerland
10. Sydney, Australia

Curious how your city ranked? Check it out.
-Katy

>A Great Man Who Will Always Be Remembered

>

To wake up on Sunday morning and Watch “Meet The Press” has always been a tradition or more recently a habit. So this Sunday was no different – or was it? There was an almost biblical feeling. A feeling like something was not right. To watch the show I have grown up with and not see that familiar face looking back at me was strange. Meet The Press without Tim Russert – it is like baseball without hot dogs. You are still there but something is missing.

Tim added that special flavor to an informative and entertaining show that has shaped our lives for decades. Let’s face it. No one has done it better. His political insight was without equal and without ego. Tim added that fatherly advise and never let his own views cloud an issue. Even his coverage of our nation’s elections was without equal. If Tim said it you can believe it and 99% of the time it was true. Is it any wonder that he died doing what he loved best.

If there is any lesson here it is to enjoy your life’s work with a passion, but leave room for the everyday things. Like a morning sunrise or the gentle breeze on a warm Sunday afternoon. Enjoy life and take care of yourself. There is a saying that I will paraphrase, ” One’s life is not measured by how much you have done, but how much you have done for others.” Tim will be forever etched in our hearts and one cannot hear that famous music or words on the screen without a place in out heart for the best of the best.

Bruce

>Getting Settled

>

Today marks one week we have been in our new home… and we are almost settled.
Here is a little taste of the progress we have made:

Bruce, still working. We aren’t sure the man ever stops…

Rob’s office, looking quite organized.

My office, neat for the first time.

Katy’s desk (notice the Cleveland sports representation on the bulletin board!)

Ah, the conference room. Soon you will be organized like the rest of the office!

We are just about all settled in and now are welcoming visitors to have the tour of our new space. Feel free to stop by to see the new Felber & Felber office!

>Who, that, which?

>Piggybacking off of my article on June 3rd, “Which “to” is it?” I have decided to keep these grammar lessons going. In writing, it is crucial to have correct word placement. There are many commonly misused words people use everyday not realizing what they are actually saying. A few of my favorites are below:

Accept vs. Except
Accept – a verb meaning to receive (ex: Dorothy will accept her award at the banquet this Friday evening.)
Except – a preposition or verb usually meaning excluding something (ex: I will take the house salad with everything except onions.”)

Affect vs. Effect
Affect – a verb meaning to influence (ex: Tom had no idea losing his cellphone would have such an affect on him.)
Effect – a noun meaning result or a verb meaning to bring about (ex: My doctor said the worst side effect of this new medication is dry mouth.)

Principle vs. Principal
Principle – a noun meaning a basic truth or law (ex: The principle truth in the matter is the car still ran the red light and caused the accident.)
Principal – a noun meaning the head of a school or an organization, or a sum of money (ex: Our principal, Mr. Felber, was very involved in the neighborhood watch program. OR The principal on his bond is at least a quarter of a million dollars.)

Than vs. Then
Than – a conjunction used in comparisons (ex: Mark is taller than Brad.)
Then – an adverb denoting time (ex: The email is to be sent on Tuesday, then the fax on Friday.)

Who vs Which vs. That
Who – refers to a person (ex: Mary was looking for someone who would take her to the airport.)
Which – designates an item or feeling (ex: I have to drive to Florida in two weeks for work, which I don’t mind because I enjoy driving.)
That – generally refers to things, may be used to refer to a group or class of people. (ex: Where is the Laker’s defense that we heard so much about?)

Check back for more grammar hints!

-Katy

>Derrie-Air?

>Ah, the power of advertising. Did it work? How do you measure it? Will it create buzz? These are all great questions. For those non-believers in advertising, check out this story about the Derrie-Air hoax played by The Philadelphia Inquirer.


Basically, Philly ran an ad for Derrie-Air, a new airline that charges passengers by the pound of YOU and your luggage, combined. Their tagline, “Pack Less. Weigh Less. Pay Less.” drove Philly readers straight to Derrie-Air’s website.

Of course this wasn’t real! The owners of The Philadelphia Inquirer did a great job in proving that advertising does work! This one-day campaign created so much buzz throughout the traditional media as well as the blogs. Stay tuned for a final count of how many visitors went to the the Derrie-Air website…

>We’ve moved!

>


It is time to say goodbye to Church Street. The Felber Team has had many memories here over the years, along with many Adventures in Marketing
.

Please update your new address as we make the journey down Aurora Road to our new home.

1869 E. Aurora Rd, STE 400
Twinsburg, OH 44087

* * *

A few pictures to remember our move…

9:15am – The moving truck is here!

Bruce – working, moving – quite the multi-tasker.

Security – check.
Rob’s office… sort of.

Michelle’s new office!

Bruce’s office… almost.

Me, enjoying lunch on my desk.

>The anti-water bottle

> It has begun, the new adventure into non-plastic water bottles – and they aren’t being shy about bragging. SIGG USA has developed an eco-friendly, reusable water bottles, ideal for those concerned with their health and their environment. This water bottle is much friendlier on the environment and our surroundings than the other alternatives on the mainstream market.

(Unfortunately, SIGG USA Online has received such high demands for their product they have decided to hault production until after the season is over to then reevaluate products and production time. You can still find their products at various locations throughout the US.)

You can find more information on SIGG USA and its products at www.mysigg.com.