Why do you do what you do?

A do do DO

What are you doing on here?
My best friend and her hubby came over for a BBQ this evening.  The hunkster hubby is trying to get his project off the ground:  our getaway car wrapped up in a 1979 Porsche.  Sound pretty fantastic doesn't it, except when you dwell on the fact that you haven't had a spin for 4 years (at least).

Why life ain't fair
What is it that a guy can have a "project" last for eons and cost mucho moola without a poof of smoke or a vroom vroom.  I should, to be fair, state that the car was started and the cloud of smoke was worse than any carbon tax register.

The girls are gals
We did a fabulous job of hanging out on the driveway while our hunks piddle and screwed around (with screwdrivers) with tools and we were content.  Ask us 50 somethings whether we could turn back time and put the breaks on these never-ending project that suck mucho moola out of the funds.

To be fair
We may have extended ourselves beyond the requirements: do we need those many shoes or purses?    Our defense mechanism is that we need as many pairs of shoes as they need tools.  

Take that!?!!
Truth be told, we really don't need those many purses, shoes or accessories as they need tools.  But never has anyone argued with the "in case".  The tool that is bought because it is needed for the specific time is far different than the "in case' that particular tool meets a specific requirement is like that purse or pair of shoes that we buy "in case" we need it.

An explanation or evasion?
My greatest friend, who has known me since we worth both 18, starting out at college asked me what the big fuss was about social media?  She said anything she has crossed paths with is nega-tive.  She links it to negative association or being tricked into saying something or her kids being trapped into something.  Something that they should avoid at all cost.

An explanation or defense?
If you find yourself fooling around on social media, we have to be prepared to defend why we do what we do do DO.    As I said to my dearest friend, or tried to explain to her, social media is not a news cast, or about what is trending in the news, or what has people all hopped up about.

Occupation or preoccupation?
To try to explain to a non-participant is a challenge.  It isn't like I get paid to tweet, blog or post.  I tried to tell her that you can be recog-nized for your efforts.  To try to explain how it can be measured is like trying to defend why smoking or drinking alcohol is okay.

About writing or expression?
My very best friend who has known me for so many years, through some challenges, and championed triumphs, asked me:  "When did you decide you liked to write?"  It was awkward.  I was reacting defensively at first.  Then I had to internalize the question and think about the answer in it's realism:  I didn't know I loved to write until I started to write and I felt this physical release.  It was like I could just write and it dissipated those worries or thoughts.  

The reaction to attraction
Whether it is from a post of words, a quote that resonates from you inner being, or an image that just seems just too cool not to share.  Writing, posting or blogging on social media is a source for saying how you really feel, what you think to be true, or what would help others.  

A piece of the peace
There is a peace that envelopes you when you can be expressive through means that are outside your own creation.  Whether it is a reaction to what is happening or a thought on what could be a reaction to what is going on around us.  Writing a blog, posting on social media, is found at the inner core of our being. 

attraction TRACTION :

Measuring SoMe efforts


Do you monitor your traction? I do sometimes. The 

most revealing are those that have been invited to like

 my page and haven't responded. Seeing that this is 

"social networking" to me, it communicates who my 

supporters are from those who would rather have me

 like or share their stuff. Social Media is a reciprocal 

business it needs to be said. I am not going to go on

 about it other than just carve back who I follow so 

that I can add more value to those who support 

me back. 

http://www.pinpuff.com/how-much-do-keywords-still-matter/

How Much Do Keywords Still Matter?

Back in the 1990’s or early 2000’s if you were a part of the SEO scene you know that keyword density reigned supreme as the quickest method of making money. People made a fortune literally overnight and many a webmaster feverishly calculated the keyword to total word count ratio in an attempt to hit that perfect keyword density per page. The belief was that when a particular page reached this ratio it would have a better chance to rank for that keyword. It was a simple scheme that made it easy for almost anyone to start ranking. READ MORE ...... 

Self promotion NOTIONS

Some people certainly have been able to create a 

niche for themselves on social media.  And, there are

a TON of wannabes like me.  Those that want to 

REALLY quit their day jobs and be able to blog and

post professionally.  Say whatever they want and 

people will be attracted to that.  

For sale:  the official car of optioneerJM (wish:  MiniCooper convertible)

MINI owes much of its incredible longevity and success to the quirky and timeless appeal of its iconic outline. Since joining the BMW Group in 1994, the brand has steadily evolved from a niche vehicle for “enthusiasts” to become far more mainstream—all the while gaining a reputation for creating eye-catching guerrilla marketing and offbeat campaigns.

The brand is set on solidifying a reputation that goes beyond buzzworthy marketing, and has been hard at work to ensure that it remains relevant. In the first nine months of the year, BMW sold more than 246,426 MINI vehicles globally, and in the U.S. alone, year-to-date MINI sales were up 14.8 percent from 2014. But the brand isn’t done yet. Earlier this summer, it unveiled the 2016 MINI Clubman, a six-door estate that marks its entry into the premium compact segment, an area predicted to grow to make up 27 percent of global car sales by 2020. The Clubman signals its realigned strategy for MINI to “concentrate on five core models with strong characters.” To that end, a redesigned and simplified logo was rolled out midsummer, and two of the brand’s models—the Coupe and the Roadster—were retired.

From Brazil with love

What a crazy thing happened... here I write about 

attraction traction and why it is always a cool 

revelation when you take a look at who you may be

attracting to your blog, twitter feed or content 

everywhere.  The surprises never cease to unfold.  My

own discovery this evening when I saw a dramatic 

spike in readers from Brazil.  Maybe I am going to 

win a free trip and be hosted to visit all the hotspots in

preparation for the RIO games right around the 

corner.  What a dream to see, feel and share what it

may feel like for visitors to the Olympic Games in 

Brazil next month.  (I'll take it!!)

My fellow Canadians must be out celebrating Canada Day and US starting early

The next best trend

Would be where people pay MOI to be able to have 

an ad on my site.  As the legend grows and readership

goes, the page views, subscribers, followers will 

increase, then so will be the rates to be able to 

advertise in a few prime spots.  Only a couple of 

banner ads and a handful MAX of ads to the right.


 
 


 
 


 


 


 


 





 


No. 3 Brand:  Coca Cola according to Rankings.com
When the celebrated TV series Mad Men wrapped up earlier this year, viewers were left with an iconic moment of marketing genius: Coca-Cola’s “Hilltop” ad. The 1971 commercial, which features a multicultural mix of youths singing “I’d like to buy the world a Coke,” speaks to a simpler time for America—and for the brand.

Now, the world’s biggest beverage brand is trying to recapture that magic for millennials through its “Share a Coke” campaign, a global marketing initiative that began in Australia in 2011. The personalized bottles were so successful in the U.S. in 2014 that the campaign was expanded this year. In September 2015, Coca-Cola teamed up with Twitter to create a custom emoji—two Coke bottles clinking—that appeared in tweets bearing the hashtag #ShareaCoke. The result: a record 170,500 mentions over a 24-hour period. 

Few companies can harness the emotional horsepower that Coca-Cola can. The challenge, instead, for the 129-year-old beverage giant is that sales of cola and its carbonated cousins have been declining over the past decade amid health concerns. As a result, the company has broadened its array of lower-calorie and lower-sugar sodas, introduced smaller container sizes, and added healthier beverages to its brand portfolio, ranging from iced tea to coconut water. READ MORE ..... 

The voice of a generation

Can be channeled at one origin.  Initially, not sub- 

scriber based.  Where people of similar interests hang

out.  The bygone product being the founding fathers 

of social media as interest-based content is where the

moola or cashola will be had.  Any and every brand

has read (and for the most part ignored) the value of

having a blog.  Yet, seriously, how many heed?  Let 

me check.

Google:  No. 2 according to Rankings.com

Who are the top 10 brands globally?

This awesome website granted me my wish.  (Isn't it

stunning how easy it has become to find exactly what

you're looking for when you look on Google?  A 

while back, (dreams of an assistant editor who can 

these nuances for my blog, on where I say or predict

something as it relates to:

• advertising
• business
• consumer spending
• leadership
• companies
• policies
• trends

According to Rankings.com the biggest brand is:

APPLE
 

“If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will,” Steve Jobs once notably remarked. In the past year, Apple has again held true to this belief, as it continues to outdo its existing products and launch all-new ones. The Apple ecosystem expanded exponentially throughout 2015, along with its customer-centric focus, as reflected by a 43 percent rise in brand value this year. 

 “

If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will,” Steve Jobs once notably remarked. In the past year, Apple has again held true to this belief, as it continues to outdo its existing products and launch all-new ones. The Apple ecosystem expanded exponentially throughout 2015, along with its customer-centric focus, as reflected by a 43 peralue this y

A little doldrum: the top-down has turned from the bottom-up

A culture to be considered
I've been quite enjoying the start of a four-day weekend.  The first day spent taking care of me.  I went for a mani-pedi.  I started a marathon of paint-ing while today I took my dog Buddy for a long walk, with ear buds setting pace to my walk and singing to my spirit.  You'd almost think that it would be classical wouldn't you?  Nahhhh, it is more rock.  Not pop music, country or ballads for me.


When writing slows down
I want to take a look inside and reflect upon why that would be so?  I maybe feeling uninspired?  That can happen to the best of us.  Pulling yourself out by the collar, takes strength, resilience and determination.  I have taken a break from painting and nothing of interest draws me to the TV.  (I've heard enough about "Brexit" for years, not even days, never mind hours).  



In keeping with the positive
An attitude adjustment may be in store.  Which is where I will write about "theCLUBHOUSEproject" I'm about to embark on later on.  Am I feeling melancholy?  Fed up? or Flipping out?  None of the above.  Just nawhthing that is rocking my boat of late.  I got a nice note from a colleague that I had written a recommendation for, and that gave me some umphhh:
there is hardly a better way of springboarding out of the doldrums than making someone else feel special.  If they happen to notice, or better yet, respond with a positive vibe, I know I have hit my mark.  It does make me feel better.  

A reflection from within
surfaced a concise take on a situation with these words:

I'm sure you'll go far now you're out in your-new-land, circulating

 around the head honchos.  I still get the giggles over that email that was sent out that day from your computer because you left it on .... "tomorrow pizza's on me!!"  Too funny eh?  I hope you will check out my blog

 and share it around your circles.  It is the truest to who I am,

 not the stifled version that works at a company

 we both know, that's for sure. 

 They put me on a new team and it is like working

 under a vice grip.  My TM is just waiting for me to mess up

 to enable it to pounce on me.

  I find it hard to believe that they are trying to make people

 when it looks like they really want to break them.  

Do you really know your cultural?
Or is it an image drummed up by the marketing and creative types?  I keep trying to tell people who are not listening carefully:  if you say it is so, it does not make it to be.

Who mans (or WOmans) your ship?
I sure hope it isn't a 20 something who can't get a grip on what your customers want, and cannot relate to who they are.  That seems to be the most common.  The value an organization puts to their social media is atrocious for the most part.  I'd bet they are paid less than your receptionist.

The value of first impressions
Centrically lies at your front door, who people see first when they enter your castle.  In today's world, I'm going to guess that something like 75 percent (conservatively speaking) outsource their reception kingdom.  Chances they are very young, very poorly attired, misappropriately mannered.  

A call for Ms. Manners
Do they even have such a thing around anymore?  Golly, we all remember Audrey Hepburn in that role about a rough-around-the-edges girl turned into a lady!  Yet we park the "before" version as the first person your very best customers, investors, creditors, shareholders, potential employees see.  

The tables are turning
The potential investor, customer, shareholder, sought after graduate is going to cross you off your list based on how important everything is in your organization, where responsibility lies at the top-down, not the bottom-up.   

A Sergeant Major leading troops
Belongs in the army or marine corp, not your company!  Yet, so many top organizations lean on to lean into the masses, push the bad ones out and the good ones too, where the mediocre survive, deafened or immune to management style that intimidates or incriminates, bracketed by a title that would indicate is your support person or advocate but is more inclined to promote themselves long before anyone else, unless it is one of their cohorts in the middle management aisles, defending each other, protecting themselves.

What is your personality?
We know what you tell the shareholders and the media viewers who skeptically buy everything you dish out.   If you were to walk into your company fresh tomorrow, as though you were looking from the outside, what would you see?

People friendly and engaged
Falls far behind stats, metrics, diplomas or degrees.  You really aren't looking for anyone that can think for themselves when you've kept the guard strong, stifle any ingenuity because that would only threaten the troops and take the majors off their game, briefly, before they are marched out or escape themselves.

As the economy rebounds
Many will have good memories.  They will recall the mishaps they scanned a while ago and have your company on the "stay away from" list faster than a nod on the "apply inventory".   

Respect, professionalism, ethics
Will far outway corruption, politics,  nepotism,  favoritism.  The leaders of those gangs exhausted and put out to pasture to make way for energy, enthusiasm, ethics, put out the steam of egos.

Roll up your sleeves and work
Without concern for who gets credit, because credit will always fall on the most deserving, not the stolen ideas.

Where training prevails
 Not as a fake lost leader but a real orchestration of talent pooling and magnetic to only the best of the best surface from.