SoKy Local Business or "SoKybiz"

I wonder sometimes why I do what I do and why I do it so well. The bottom line is I love what I do. I truly enjoy my work and it makes "working" much easier. Sure, I have things I have to do that I don't love so much but they are part of the overall doing of what I love.

I have read a number of books and articles about starting a new business. Even the SBA website offers a step by step process of brainstorming, researching, planning and implementing a new business, but many times the "secret sauce" is omitted. Why are you starting your new business? No no no, I mean really, Why are you starting the new business? Is it to fire your boss and be your own? Is it to capture a neglected market to make money? Do you think you could do it better if free from the environment that limits your logic or creativity? But really, WHY?

When we started the "dreaming stage" of our travel agency, I asked all the partners to share with me, "What are we doing this for?" Long term, down the road, touchy feely, warm and fuzzy, or simply, the emotional motivation for going into business. I asked one of our partners, "why would we invest all this time, effort and money into a travel agency and not a franchise like McDonald's?" I mean they have a working business model that is proven to work. She scrunched up her nose and said "Because I don't want to own a McDonald's." Then why a travel agency? She explained because it's something she loved doing. That was the bottom line for me, that we all agreed that this is something we would love doing... and better, love doing it together.

SoKy.net on the other hand came to being with much less of a definition in time, it came over the course of years through individual consultations and customers. It has been a business in the making for about 7 years. I am facing the same question, "Why am I doing this instead of something else?" I'm doing it because I love it. I like making things come together, I love the creative aspect and the abilities I have to make people's online dreams come true. Sure, I also love the potential income and that is a big motivation to my overall goals.

Why do I fly for the Air Force? Because I love the job, the opportunities to go new places and meet new people. Why do I co-own a travel agency? Because I love it! Each customer is seeking that perfect vacation and we get the chance to help them find it and then find a way to get there. Why am I writing in this blog? Because I love being able to express myself and offer my views that might help others. Why do I do what I do? Because I love it!

This has not always been the case and I have been able to make the adjustments over time to get to this point, and frankly it's evolving even still. But for the small business owner, you have the unique opportunity to go for the gold and that gold is to do what you love. It's more precious than any metal and though it can't be spent on fancy cars, it's value is incalculable. When I was stuck doing jobs that I didn't love, I would make changes, hire help or find ways to modify my career path so I could reach that goal of doing what I love.

I saw a commercial once, I can't remember the product (oops) but I remember the hook, "Being in a job you love is like being on vacation every single day." That statement might be a stretch, but for the industrious entrepreneur who enjoys the challenges of owning a business, it is a labor of love. Bowling Green Ky. is a fertile ground from which we can make our dreams grow and flourish, planting the right seeds to achieve the right goals might make all the difference in the world. Go for it and love what you do.

I am making an effort to avoid politics here at the SoKyBiz blog but these statements from my own representative is worth noting. As a member of the United States Air Force Reserves with 20 years active and reserve experience, my opinions on the current "Global War on Terror" are bias and as such will be avoided. (That doesn't mean their not absolutely right, just admittedly bias.)

"The President did an outstanding job reiterating his commitment to the Iraqi people and to the cause of freedom. He laid out a clear strategy for success, and he has my full support." From: Statement Of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell On The President's Speech On Iraq "Mr. President, our work in Iraq is a challenging but noble endeavor, an endeavor in which progress is being made every day -- a message I think President Bush reaffirmed clearly last night." From: Senator McConnell Comments On The President's Speech On Iraq (on the Senate floor)

Great Clips had their ribbon cutting three doors down and I missed it. I was hunkered down in my cube scripting away and forgot all about it and they have a pretty cool story.

Great Clips is a franchise that two guys from TN (if I remember correctly) have opened and have another one in the works here in Bowling Green. From a conversation with one of the owners, I gleaned that they already have a few locations in Nashville. The owner I met was a really nice guy, open and willing to share. He was looking for another stylist and even offered discounts if we could help him find one. As it turns out, he was prevented from opening by the franchisor because he didn't have the minimum required employees. (That's an entirely different topic.)

I watched with great interest as they took the old Olan Mill's space in our strip mall. This was a space we decided not to rent because of the amount of work necessary to prepare it for our needs. Walls needed to be torn down, floor coverings & ceiling tiles replaced, and a lot of electrical work. We opted for a more open space that needed much less work. (Boy that worked out famously.)

It was most interesting to observe all the work taking place, I would see dollars being spent as each subcontractor busily prepared the store to open. Then the pre-designed franchise interior work began and furnishings installed as though from a kit. From the framed pictures on the wall to the boat sails that separated the stations, it was evident that it was a well planned process to get open.

I noticed that even while they were putting the finishing touches on the store, there was a group of people gathered around a plastic head with hair as they listened intently to the instructor demonstrate a cutting technique, or so it appeared. The big sign in the window announce the pending opening and the fact they were still looking for a few good stylists.

When they finally received the okey-dokey from the franchisor to open it really got interesting. They immediately canvassed the stores in our mall handing out coupons for hair cuts for $3.99. Freestanding signs were placed in strategic locations with the logo and the discount amount on them. Lawn signs sprung up everywhere and every car in our parking lot received a coupon under its windshield wiper for a few days. (I have mixed feelings about that strategy, to me it's akin to littering but that's not the point.)

I noticed on June 18th that there was a clown and a person in a Spiderman outfit waving at traffic on Scottsville Rd. I thought to myself that they are reading the franchise manual and executing it to a tee. I had seen the clown a few more times and then the really cool thing happened. One morning I noticed the "clown" setting up the freestanding signs and thought it looked like the owner I had met. In an attempt to confirm my suspicions I asked Carrie (my wife who sees all happenings in our parking lot), and she confirmed that it was in fact the owner of the franchise. That's when it hit me... "Would I do that to promote my business?"

My observations are that this owner is willing to do what it takes to make his business work. According to him, he pays his employees well. From what I've seen, he follows the guidance given by the franchisor, Joined the local Chamber of Commerce, spends money when necessary and will even don a clown outfit to draw attention to his new location. I must admit, I admire this fellow. I think he is a doer and no matter what it takes... he will give it a try to make his business work. He is invested with much more than money but with action.

Hats off to you neighbor, or Spidey mask, rainbow wig or whatever you're wearing on your head today.

Reference

• Great Clips. 2945 Scottsville Road (Kroger/K-Mart shopping center.)
• "Great Clips for hair" (Franchisor) http://www.greatclipsfranchise.com/
• Greenwood Properties (270)782-2152 : 996 Wilkinson Trace, Suite A-11 Bowling Green KY 42103

Branding a small business

One aspect of creating a small business is branding. Many entrepreneurs neglect to give this the attention it deserves either not knowing the importance or simply putting it off. Many think it's too expensive to invest in a total branding effort, but others would argue that it's too expensive not to.

Branding is an asset you can actually build from scratch and place a value on. Many large companies value their brands in the billions of dollars, many of whom have invested millions in their creation and dissemination.

What exactly is a brand? Answers.com says;

Brand

A distinguishing symbol, mark, logo, name, word, sentence, or a combination of these items that companies use to distinguish their product from others in the market. ;

Investopedia Says: Once a brand has created positive sentiment amongst the target audience, the firm is said to have built brand equity. Some examples of firms with brand equity--possessing very recognizable brands of products--are Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Ferrari, Sony, The Gap, and Nokia. ;

Simply put, a brand is who you are as a business entity... so it begs the question; "Who am I?" Take a look at your existing business publications, signage, letterhead, business cards, brochures, flyers and website. Is there a disguising logo? A standard font and style? A basic color scheme? Or is it all a hodgepodge of dissimilar looking media that does not connect to each other? Does each item send a similar message? Does it convey your business principles, professionalism or other key ingredient that distinguishes you above your competition?

When we started our travel agency, we invested in some artwork and a basic "corporate identity" through a local advertising company. They provided us with logo concepts as well as letterhead, business cards and brochure ideas. It was money well spent. (Less than $2000) One of my larger clients is large 130 year old international organization accomplishing a name change, they invested much more in their rebranding effort. Through the process, I learned volumes from Crane Metamarketing Ltd. as they worked hard to discover identity through interviews, suggestions and trial and error. (A personal achievement was the fact I was able to integrate their concepts completely and thoroughly online.) The result was an entire corporate/organizational identity that fit. An identity that permeated all communications. It was expensive, difficult and time consuming but well worth the effort.

Worth the effort? ! We've had a number of people ask us at our travel agency if we are a franchise. Querying deeper, they explain they asked because we appear so professional. Many people came to this conclusion long before they experienced our high level of professionalism and customer service in the office. They have explained it was because we "looked" like a franchise. Our image (identity) projects professionalism in the hope to inspire trust enough for our target market to give us a try. Once they do, it's up to us to perpetuate this image through our customer service, but that's an entirely different subject.

It's not so hard, but it does take time. Start small... your sign, logo or distinguishing mark and grow from there. If you don't have the time, hire a competent consultant with experience and resources (and references) to help you. As with anything, this may just be the time to call in the pros.

There's more I could (will) write about this, but I'm trying to stick to my topic... branding is important to your customers, is it important to you?

Edited Thursday 01 Feb, 2007 1:49 pm

Over the past weeks and months, most major news sources have been running articles about RSS feeds and how they are impacting business. Small businesses in Bowling Green KY (who are actively marketing online) would do well to hear the call. Now, if you own a business like Scrapbook Country with no online presence or interest in online marketing, then perhaps you should either, 1) consider your marketing strategy, or 2) stop reading now.

Really Simply Syndication (RSS) is coming in a big way and an easy indication of this is by observing the number of new applications, news stories and integrations of the technology. Even SoKyBiz has a RSS feed. The biggest news story in the Science and Technology section of Google this morning is about the next Windows version being RSS friendly. If you notice, there were 223 related stories too. Just run a search and see how many results for RSS you get. (Yahoo = about 310,000,000 for "RSS")

So what is the attracting to RSS? I have been telling my web customers for years that it's very important to keep your website fresh and current. This helps bring people back regularly as well as let the search engines know that your site includes recent information. Continually updating your website lets people know that the information they are reading isn't from 1996 and they can trust it. (I'm surprised at the number of pages created in 1996)

Also, RSS feeds offer a business owner a quick easy method of reading current news and information that is important to them. With all the sites and information available to the business owner, an easy method of quickly scanning recent information is useful. There are many RSS news readers out there and in a nut shell, they offer a standard method of quickly scanning only the information you're interested in. I am working on an online version of this but there are many downloadable applications out there. (I'm hesitant to offer a recommendation as I have not tried any myself.) Blogger has some recommendations though.

Blogger Answers:

Special pieces of software called Newsreaders (or Aggregators) can scan these feeds, automatically letting you know when the sites have updated. Examples are FeedDemon (Windows), Bloglines (web-based), and NetNewsWire and Shrook (Mac OS X). More are listed at AtomEnabled.org.

So with an easy way to get information, and an easy way to publish information, the time has come for people with an online presence to seriously consider an RSS feed. I will be offering this service to my key customers who have an interest and are willing to make updates to their feeds regularly. Another article idea: How to get people to eat what you're "feeding" them. (grin) No matter your opinion on the topic, the fact is that RSS is going to be important in the not so distant future. The question then is; are you going to use this to your advantage or is your competition?

Computers : Technology : Security

Spyware, it's everywhere! As a web developer I spend a good amount of time on the internet and like most people I am concerned with security though my concern also covers a number of computers. In my business, people look to me daily for advice and guidance relating to safe internet browsing and what I try to offer is help that can be implemented automatically. I'm a huge fan of Microsoft and even when I purchased the computers for the travel agency I specified Windows XP pro because of the relatively new security center. I also use a resource intensive application from Norton for spam, virus and intruder detection on all work station pc's. I do this because it offers the highest level of protection without the need for the user to be knowledgeable in update or scanning procedures.

Anyone who is reading this should have heard the term Spyware by now. Spyware as defined by Google is...

"A general term for a program that surreptitiously monitors your actions. While they are sometimes sinister, like a remote control program used by a hacker, software companies have been known to use Spyware to gather data about customers. The practice is generally frowned upon."

When I asked to review the four computers at another travel agency I found literally hundreds of instances of virus, Trojans and spyware and it took quite a bit to get rid of it. When we opened this travel agency I took the lessons I learned from that experience and implemented the best methods I could to prevent these problems in the future without the need for me to continually monitor the computers or train (and retrain) the users.

As far as spyware is concerned, I have tried several methods to detect and guard against it. But today I decided to download and install Microsoft's beta Spyware protection for free. My logic is that I am already using the Microsoft operating system and office bundles, Microsoft already processes my email and even guards the computers with the integrated firewall, so this would likely be a good fit in our current set up.

So I went to... http://www.microsoft.com/athome/
security/spyware/software/default.mspx and went through the process of download. They did ask me to authenticate my operating system and did so willingly. The program downloaded quickly, (6 meg) and installed flawlessly. I ran it and it found that iwon had installed a tool bar that I didn't know about. (Surprising because I am so savvy and careful about such things.) Now it runs in the background and continually monitors for spyware.

From the Microsoft website:

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta) is a security technology that helps protect Windows users from spyware and other potentially unwanted software. Known spyware on your PC can be detected and removed. This helps reduce negative effects caused by spyware, including slow PC performance, annoying pop-up ads, unwanted changes to Internet settings, and unauthorized use of your private information. Continuous protection improves Internet browsing safety by guarding more than 50 ways spyware can enter your PC. Participants in the worldwide SpyNet™ community play a key role in determining which suspicious programs are classified as spyware. Microsoft researchers quickly develop methods to counteract these threats, and updates are automatically downloaded to your PC so you stay up to date. http://www.microsoft.com/athome/
security/spyware/software/about.mspx

There is no doubt that many people will disagree with my logic or my methods but the fact is as a business owner with several computers to be concerned about and a myriad of other duties I must perform, I have little time to be constantly checking and double checking my computers and those who use them. I say; if I can get it on autopilot and have a good disaster preparedness policy in place, then I'm going to automate as much as I can with technology that is built to work together.

Yesterday was quite busy and I didn't get a chance to post. I had some client support issues as well as my son coming down from Louisville. (He's been on active duty with the Air National Guard unit up there for training.) With that and some internal support issues I was not able to post an article. I also spent a little time working on some of the features of this blog. I was able to get the hosted version to work and was doing some FTP tests. This is all ground work for an article I hope to write about using the Blogger tools for business. I had a refreshing business meeting yesterday with a local builder who truly understood the importance of being online but admittedly had a limited understanding of the inner workings of the web. I was offered the opportunity by Betty Brennenstuhl of Infusion to sit and talk with the customer. We discussed some of the functionality issues with his current online presence and discussed the ways to address them. In the end, he hired me... or at least a piece of me. (grin)

AP High Tech is running story about eBay encouraging its sellers to to build websites. According to the story, eBay is addressing its slowing growth by offering a website builder and hosting to existing eBay sellers. The new service has been branded as "ProStores" and I could not help but poke around a little.

Like other services found on many of the big portal websites, they are offering a template style design and standard product listing for a nominal fee. The prices range from $6.95 per month and 1.5% successful transaction fee to $249.95 per month and 0.5% successful transaction fee. There is are a few catches to this offering though. 1) You have to be a current eBay seller, no easy task for many technology challenged retailers and 2) you must process the transactions through eBay's own merchant service called PayPal. While I didn't dig very deep, I'm assuming that the PayPal transaction fees still apply too so your successful transaction fees could go up proportionately.

The ProStores website offers a good deal of information about the importance of putting your products and services online as well as tips for security and marketing. One thing eBay has always been good at is motivating its sellers to sell online. After reading some of the propaganda and checking the feature (price) comparisons, I decided to look at their featured stores. The first one offered was Cool Sneaks.

Since I spent two years developing an online shoe store (weCareShoes.com now closed) and understanding some of the intricate details and complications of shoe store inventory and availability, I decided this was a good site to check out and besides, it was the first featured site listed as well.

I was most disappointed though not surprised to find it impossible to view a single pair of shoes for sale.

I clicked on closeouts, wide widths, mens, womens and even brands... nothing! The page displayed said; "Sorry, no matches were found containing {para}" Really, I could not find one single pair of shoes on the website.

This is where I get discouraged and with a tag line such as this, I can think of no worse example of a contradiction. Steps above the rest in customer service... "sorry, no matches found."

So on to the second "featured site" ... " FakeTeeth.com featuring "The original Billy Bob fake teeth. Oh boy! At least there were products available but to buy a set of "Billy Bob" messed up teeth inserts for $10.00? I don't think so. But seriously, the site appeared custom and attractive if cartooney and the products displayed were at least loyal to the theme. I didn't try to complete the checkout process but on the first page they had purchased an SSL certificate (Encryption protection) so they had at least got the basics right.

Okay, now for my opinion. Services such as this have their place! I have even recommended the service to retailers who have an interest and desire for online marketing as well as the patience to learn how to publish online. There is allot to learn from layout rules to image compression and format. It is also good for the retailer who has a need to be in complete control of their store and unwilling to hire it out. Again, like any service, you can spend the time to learn how to do it right and then accomplish it yourself or you can hire a professional who will seek to make the site work for you in a manner that best fits your business model and marketing efforts.

It's complicated and I will write about this in the future but in my opinion, the services like ProStores have their place just like PayPal and eBay, but for the business owner who does not spend all their time at their computer it's not the best fit. For a business owner who wants to offer a unique shopping experience online, the only real option, just like almost any other part of business, is to make an investment in a professional web design and management company. YES, that's what I do and you might think me bias... but that's simply how I see it through my cyber colored glasses.

I've had a few concerns about some of the information found on forums and blogs. When I write my "posts," I try to be open, honest and accurate. I always try to give credit to people or organizations which I talk about and if less than favorable I try to make it clear it is simply the opinion of a simple man. But, as our culture of sue or be sued might dictate, one has to remain mindful of the potential of lawsuits. I ran across this timely resource and thought it worth posting on my blog's if for no other reason a quick reference link for myself. Now if I could just find a writing guide that was written so simply and clearly.

EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers http://www.eff.org/bloggers/lg/

Another topic worth discussion is copyright and using pictures such as I have done here. I saved it to my server hard drive so as to not put a burden on their servers but is it legal? I'm trusting yes because I am promoting their website and using it in context of same.

I frequently attend local ribbon cuttings here in Bowling Green since we opened our travel agency. I do it to meet people in the business community and also support other small business in my community. When we had our ribbon cutting we were happy that so many people showed up! If felt good to have several people come to our new store and give us a nod of support. We did reward them by giving away two great vacation packages too.

I had received the announcement about the Scrapbook Country ribbon cutting and thought that would be a good one to attend if for no other reason than to support these entrepreneurs emotionally. Frankly, the concept of a scrapbook store was foreign to me and I could not wrap my logical mind around a need nor a market. I wondered if a micro-niche product such as this could support the overhead of a retail location. I still do I guess and only time will tell if our MSA will provide enough volume to cover their overhead. (See B-Note below)

I arrived a little early to check it out. It's located in a strip mall and I'm estimating about 1200 square feet of retail space. From the outside it looks like normal retail space. There was a greeter at the door to welcome me and open the door for me, I almost hesitated to get my little smiley face sticker like at Wal-Mart. On the inside it was definitely a "country" theme reminding me of Cracker Barrel restaurant complete with antiques hanging from the walls. Most notable was the check out counter. If I was a betting man, I would wager that there is a home out in the hills somewhere missing a porch, deck and painted tin roof. They even framed some windows and door. I couldn't help but notice the detail work where they cut the glass to make room for the thermostat. There's even a backyard area in the back of the store complete with white picket fence. It looks like this area is for creation and assembly of the scrapbook pages.

Checking out the products I could not believe my eyes! Everything you could probably conceive of to be cut, arranged and pasted into the pages of your scrapbook. This was the creative isle at Target on steroids; the Lowes superstore of scrapbook hardware and supplies. You really should take the time to take a look.

As I stood in awe of all the stuff you can put in a scrapbook, a nice man came up to me and shook my hand. He asked if I had ever seen the Brady Bunch (television show), having not heard him clearly, I'm sure I looked like a deer in the headlights. He pointed at the Tiki-totem necklace I was wearing and repeated his question. I explained it was a leader gift from Punta Cana vendors on the beach, a product they used to suck(er) you into their booth (We just returned from there last week). He just laughed and relayed a story about an episode of the Brady Bunch where there was a jinxed necklace like mine and even as he explained he was walking off. I think he was slightly embarrassed. I learned later during the VIP introductions that this nice guy happened to be Jonathon Miller, Kentucky State Treasurer. Nope, I didn't recognize him at all. http://www.kytreasury.com/

During these same introductions, they pointed out another guy in a suit who looked remarkably familiar but I could not place the face. I knew I had seen him before but maybe I was just too close or something. It turned out to be none other than Representative Jody Richards, Speaker of the Kentucky House of representatives.

We adjourned from our country surroundings to go outside and cut the ribbon. This is a great photo opportunity for the store, those in attendance and the chamber. The photos are published in the chamber newsletter and from experience I can share, the photos are also saved in hundreds of individual scrapbooks all over town. Hey, there's the market.

After the ribbon cutting photo I could not help myself, I just so happened to have my digital camera (grin) and approached the Speaker for a snapshot. He was most willing and quite appreciative that I asked. I couldn't help but notice that he was in his regular business attire and I in mine. Remember, I own a travel agency. So there we stood side by side, the Speaker of the KY House and a travel agency owner, he in his suit, tie and nicely polished shoes, and me in my shorts, Tiki-Totem ("Brady Bunch") necklace and flip-flops posed for our picture. Oh it's too funny. (I did get to share briefly about flying speaker Hastert on a recent Air Force mission. Maybe that helped.)

In all, I would recommend that small business owners join the chamber and attend the events. I'll post more on this topic in the future but as you can see, this one little ribbon cutting (took all of 40 minutes) had a few lasting memories for my... eh... scrapbook.

Reference:

• Scrapbook Country, LLC. 1751 Scottsville Road
• Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce BGChamber.com
• Jonathon Miller, Kentucky State Treasurer http://www.kytreasury.com/
• (d) Jody Richards, Speaker of the KY House of Reps. http://lrc.ky.gov/hsedistricts/h020/h020.htm

B-Note is my term for blog notes. As it happens, I usually have side stories or other thoughts regarding a blog topic so I coined B-Note form moments such as this.

Edited Thursday 01 Feb, 2007

On Saturday, I blogged my thoughts about the Daily News and online readership and finally sent the link to a general editorial address this morning. I received a very quick reply from Mr. Mike Alexieff Managing Editor, Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky. I must admit I was most impressed. I also noticed he checked me out a little by poking around my website(s), thanks Mike! I asked him for permission to post his reply and he agreed.

-----Original Message----- From: Mike Alexieff [email addressed removed] Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2005 10:20 AM To: [soky] Subject: Daily News David, Thanks for directing me to your blog. It looks interesting and I'll check it regularly. A few thoughts about your post re: the Daily News. First, concerning the features and feel of the site, we are currently working on a redesign which is scheduled to debut around mid-July. Second, our circulation is actually increasing. May's numbers, which I got yesterday, show us up 5.6 percent over a year ago. We are one of only two dailies in Kentucky that have shown circulation growth over the past three years. (The other is Elizabethtown.) Third, your suggestions to make the site more interactive are worth exploring. Several of them will likely be incorporated in the new site. We do have a comment section, which is titled "Sound Off," in the left side menu. We are staying away from registration because we feel that it is intrusive. If I have to register to look at a Web site, I skip it. (With the exception of a few newspaper sites and personal interest sites.) However, we will likely include some sort of opt-in membership. I send you an e-mail when we get the new site up and look forward to your thougths on it. Finally, as you can probably guess, we don't have six figures to spend on the site. Probably closer to four. Again, thanks for the comments and suggestions. Feel free to contact me anytime, and you can add me to your list of readers. Mike. Mike Alexieff Managing Editor Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky. (270) 783-3235 [email addressed removed]

I am genuinely impressed that the Managing Editor found it worth his time to read and respond to my comments. I really like the information he offered as well! The fact they are working on a new website is exciting and I look forward to it. I was also impressed to learn in a separate email that www.bgdailynews.com is now averaging above 1 million page views and more than 250,000 unique visitors per month.

One point about "registration." I agree! My comments were abbreviated so I don't think I was clear, but to his point regarding registered access to read the content I agree whole heartedly. I've had a few websites make the switch to subscriber based (free or paid), and in every case I have found other less intrusive sources for my information.

That said, I do subscribe or register for websites that I choose to be involved in through forums, comments and the like. Giving people the opportunities to interact with the website for article comments, story discussions or ask a writer questions could engage the community and get more people involved. I think people would be willing to register for this and even create online profiles and offer more information. Then, by doing periodic polls and surveys of the registered users you can get a picture of who they are, what they are interested in and as much economic / demographic information as they are willing to share. That's really what I was eluding to.

To Mike! I hope you're not to critical of my writing structure/style but knowing you may peek in once in a while has me using the grammar and spell checker more often. (grin) I spent some time as a superintendent of public affairs, and our chief editor learned to overlook my idiotic word structure and found a gem or two in my blathering. I hope you do too. Welcome and thank you again.

I went to the Sloan Convention Center Saturday June 18th mostly out of curiosity. I had seen in the news that the personal belongings of a former Bowling Green CFO were on the block because of some misdeeds. The Bowling Green Daily News reports;

"What was once the property of city Chief Financial Officer Davis Cooper now will help pay back the city of Bowling Green, as about 1,000 people gathered for an auction at Sloan Convention Center."

Full story from the Bowling Green Daily News http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/stories/public/200506/19/0004uuaa_top-news.html

I arrived just after 10:00 AM to find a full house. I estimated about 500 people but the paper reported 1000. It was amazing! I have been to a few auctions and have never seen anything like this. There was another auction at the same time here in Greenwood Shopping center for the out of business "Mega-Dollar" which only a fraction (est about 25 people) showed up to snap up dollar store bargains and store fixtures.

I took some pictures of the Cooper auction turn out just for giggles, (click for full view) and perhaps nostalgia.

See also:

• Cooper auction to refill coffers Sunday, June 12, 2005 BG Daily News
• Davis Cooper Pleads Not Guilty May 18, 2005 WBKO TV
• Cooper is arraigned May 18, 2005 BG Daily News

A recent article @ http://www.ecommercetimes.com/ inspired some thoughts regarding our local newspaper in Bowling Green Kentucky.

Newspaper Readers Turning to Web http://www.ecommercetimes.com/ ... Newspaper-Readers-Turning-to-Web.xhtml

By Keith Regan E-Commerce Times 06/17/05 1:14 PM PT

The Nielsen//NetRatings study showed not only the convenience of the Internet, analysts say, but also the staying power of brands online, with relatively few readers reporting that they have abandoned traditional mainstream media outlets in favor of Web-only rivals.

The Bowling Green Daily News does a pretty good job of offering online content in a timely fashion, though their website, in my opinion, is somewhat lagging behind in features and "feel". Don't even try to search the archive (though there is a Google solution I may write about), because it fails miserably. They have been doing better with ads online and I can only hope they are offsetting the lack of subscription growth (Correction: The subscriptions are growing according to the editor.) with online ad revenue. Don't even get me started about the graphic ad representation they offer for their print advertisers, it needs a major overhaul.

Our only daily newspaper needs to take a good hard look at some of the interactive options being utilized by the bigger market publications and get users involved. In my personal opinion, they would do well to add an RSS feature, a comment and rate story feature and even a membership feature that would give them a better demographic/psychographic picture of their online readership. If your customers are online, then serve them as well (or better), than you do your print subscribers. There are dozens of ways to cross promote each media type (print and online) and besides offering the ability to offer advertisers more exposure to the market, they just might be able to offer their advertisers a clearer picture of who, when, where and why the community is seeing their advertisement.

I would love to sink my teeth into this kind of project though it would likely take a year and 6 figures to accomplish. I have a plethora of ideas to involve the community, their advertisers (of which I am one) and their talented staff. Who knows, maybe I'll just get the juices flowing by sending them a link to this blog. (grin)

Anyway, with all the new high tech industry coming to our MSA and the fact that readers are increasingly turning to online content for information, the time is right for or community newspaper to consider an investment in their online offering. This may be a good focus item for my business blog.

cc: editor{a}bgdailynews.com (I wonder how much spam this guy receives, WHEW!)

(UPDATE! I was heard! And the Daily News responded: BG Daily News managing editor responds )

Links

Individual's weblogs

• AdRants
• Adverblog
• Cup of Java
• Decent Marketing
• NotBillable
• Seth Godin's Blog

Group Weblogs

• Adland
• Church of the Customer
• Marketing Genius
• Marketing VOX
• PSFK
• The Big Blog Company

Blogs on PR

• A PR Guru's Musings
• Active Voice
• Beyond PR
• Media Guerrilla
• Musings from POP! Public Relations
• PR Machine
• Strategic Public Relations

B-to-b marketing blogs

• B2B Lead Generation Blog
• Dana VanDen Heuvel
• Guerrilla Consulting
• Keith Bates Blogspot
• Rob Frankel - Branding Expert
• ZDNet

Blogs on small business marketing

• Duct Tape Marketing
• Proven Ways to Get New Customers
• Small Business Trends
• Smart Marketing
• Yellow Pages Commando Blog

Blogs on online marketing

• 5 Star Affiliate Marketing & SEO Blog Network
• Affiliate Marketing Gab
• Charlene Li's Blog
• Chris Baggott's Best Practices in Email
• MooneyThinks
• Online Marketing Blog
• Stephan Spencer's Scatterings
• Random Culture

Blogs on niche marketing

• Lipsticking
• the [non]billable hour
• WonderBranding
• Ypulse

Blogs on search marketing

• Anvil Media, Inc.
• Blog Business World
• Brad Fallon
• Search Engine Lowdown
• Search Engine Marketing Strategies by Laundry Media
• Search Engine Roundtable

Looks like I've been published!

I sent my thoughts about the new Chase Blink credit cards to Anita Campbell, CEO, Small Business Trends because I was reading her small business "blog" and wanted to offer something in return. She wrote me back with the suggestion that she post it on another blog she is an editor for called RFID Blog. I agreed and then she posted it. I feel honored to be published on her site.

I was really exploring the market impact of all the new point of sale (POS) machines that would be required if the new credit card is embraced but as I wrote, I found my thoughts turn more to the potential risks over the market potential. Just my impressions as a previous ISO rep, web developer and small business owner.

Thanks Anita! I may be wrong in my impressions of the potential risk but knowing that people like me with limited knowledge of the technology are going to have questions may help the marketing effort.

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Unrelated, Carrie and I leave for the Dominican Republic tonight for about a week in celebration of our 21st anniversary, but also to review the resort. Come back for a thorough review of Sunscape Grand, Punta Cana!!