Slightly Off-Topic

Google Billing Problems: Phishing Scam »
Posted on April 3rd, 2008 by Justin Seibert in DOM News, Email Marketing, Slightly Off-Topic | Leave A Comment

Hi all. I normally don’t write about these because they happen all the time, but I’ve had a client and a colleague both email me in the last two days regarding the same issue. Consider this my public service announcement for the year.

If you receive an email from Google that says “Account Reactivation” or “Update Your Billing Information” or anything along those lines, DO NOT CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS. It is a scam.
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Love is…… »
Posted on March 19th, 2008 by Paul Woodhouse in Slightly Off-Topic, Web Development | Leave A Comment

I’m not one to fall in love easily. I’m more inclined to fancy the pants off something from a distance. The thrill is in the chase and the whiff of the greasepaint.

You are my quarry - hear me roar.

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Happy Holidays »
Posted on December 21st, 2007 by Justin Seibert in DOM News, Slightly Off-Topic | 1 Comment

Hi everyone - just a quick note wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season. We’ll be closed Monday and Tuesday (Dec. 24-25) to let our team enjoy a long weekend winter break. And if you want to extend any wishes to Paul before New Year’s, you’d better do it now as he’s hopping back across the pond tomorrow.

So whether you believe in Santa Claus, Hanukkah Harry (sorry we’re late - I know Hanukkah began the night of the 4th and ended 8 days later), Captain Festivus, or any other December religious figure, please accept our wishes for a safe and wonderful end of the year.

Of Apologies, Black Hatting, & More – Follow up to the Mitchell Report Post »
Posted on December 17th, 2007 by Justin Seibert in Business Blogging, SEO, Slightly Off-Topic | 5 Comments

Last week I posted about the Mitchell Report and how the accused baseball players could use search engine reputation management to protect their future earning capacities. I did not get into the ridiculousness of Donald Fehr, how football probably has an even bigger problem with HGH, or any of the other interesting side topics.

During my post, I made a side comment about a site that touched off a bit of a firestorm. Really more of a warmstorm or whatever is less than a firestorm, but more comments than we typically get on a post at least since we converted to Wordpress. This post is all about those comments, so to understand it, you should start by reading them first.

A few points in number format for no other reason than because I like outlines.

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Would you kill for a sale? »
Posted on December 11th, 2007 by Paul Woodhouse in SEM, Slightly Off-Topic | 2 Comments

I love being a strange foreign man in a strange foreign land. As you may have gathered by now, I have a beautiful excuse to hide behind anytime I wish to flirt with something remotely controversial. All I have to do is play my ‘get out of jail free card’ - the fact that I’m British and I’ve seen things operate differently.

(GOOJFC)

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What’s Worse Than Reds Under Your Beds? »
Posted on December 6th, 2007 by Paul Woodhouse in Business Blogging, Internet, Slightly Off-Topic | Leave A Comment

I was brought up in the latter part of the Cold War. As a child I remember being terrified of the marauding red menace and of their ability and willingness to invade England via Scotland at a second’s notice. Mutually assured destruction was the backdrop.

No wonder I wet the bed.

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A Special Treat: Pop vs. Soda »
Posted on March 15th, 2007 by Paul Woodhouse in Slightly Off-Topic | Leave A Comment

Things are finally starting to settle down where I can return to blogging. Perhaps not 5 days at week for a little while, but at least 3 days a week.

To thank you for continuing to check in during my hiatus, I would like to present you with my favorite piece of useless information on the Web: the pop vs. soda map. I’m presenting this as a thank you and also because I’m in a good mood after the fighting Commodores of Vanderbilt University slaughtered GW in the NCAA tournament last night. Continue reading →

I Want to Pay Someone to Box my Ears until I Lose Consciousness »
Posted on November 29th, 2006 by Justin Seibert in Marketing, Slightly Off-Topic | Leave A Comment

Quick update on my earlier post about Michael Richards. Due to his “antics”, the newest Seinfeld dvd is selling like hotcakes. Which of course, means more cash for Kramer. In addition, I’ve been told that he was offered a role on a popular prime time sitcom after the incident occurred.

While some may argue he doesn’t need to be crucified, how can you justify rewarding him for his actions? Continue reading →

From You Alright, I Learned It from Watching You »
Posted on November 19th, 2006 by Justin Seibert in Slightly Off-Topic | Leave A Comment

One of my favorite commercials growing up was the father grilling the son about smoking marijuana. “Where did you get this? Answer me!” the father implored. Finally the son shouts out, “From you alright, I learned it from watching you.”

I finally saw it parodied a year or two ago, although I can’t remember where. My second favorite was the guy walking around in a circle - “I do coke, so I can work longer, so I can earn more, so I can do more coke….”

When I was growing up, there were a ton of these commercials including the girl on the high dive with empty pool and the famous, “This is your brain on drugs.” Sadly, I can’t find a link for my favorite.

All these commercials, if not utilizing top shelf talent like Pee Wee Herman, relied upon shock value. This shock value was probably useful in reaching through to kids even if it sometimes had unintended humor consequences.

Well, shocking anti-drug commercials have finally caught up to both the 21st Century and meth. The Wyoming Department of Health has release new tv commercials and posters outlining the risks of our country’s drug du jour among the youth.

While the ads are graphic and the media does tend to sensationalize “epidemics”, we applaud Wyoming for trying to keep kids from getting sucked into that tailspin. From meth lab explosions, to increases in violent crime, to health problems and lost opportunities to users, meth is truly causing grave damage to our nation.

The Exact Moment I Knew my Life was Over »
Posted on November 14th, 2006 by Justin Seibert in Marketing, Slightly Off-Topic | Leave A Comment

You know that moment of recognition when you realize something has changed about you? It’s not possible that it changed right then and there, it’s just that the metamorphosis happened so slowly that you didn’t notice the gradual changes that are impercetible by themselves.

There are three such instances I can point to in recent years. The first was getting fat. Sure I made jokes about it for a long time. I’d laugh about gaining sympathy weight for my wife’s first pregnancy and then kept going past the birth of our second child. I knew my eating habits were horrendous and I wasn’t getting any exercise. But when I couldn’t fit into a pair of jeans anymore that truthfully I shouldn’t have been wearing for several months, I knew it happened.

Another time was when I turned into my dad. There were signs I should have picked up on there, too. Like when I softly rebuked an interviewee for not having an umbrella with him even though I probably didn’t own one at his age. Later the realization hit when I heard myself telling an employee, “Young lady, where’s your coat?”

Well, the latest revelation was last night and probably would hurt the most if I didn’t know on a subconcious level that it had happened long ago. This summer I noticed myself going outside with dress socks, shorts, and sandals. I have a harder time getting up off the floor after playing with my kids.

Last night, though, I knew I had become…old. I had given up. My life was over.

There I was, sitting on the couch voting for an unamed contestant that owns the NFL record for rushing yards on Dancing with the Stars. Hitting redial over and over and over - on two different phones no less - to get our 20 votes counted.

Sure, I could say that my wife was the one who cared about voting - which she truly was - and that I was only helping her out after she got tired 30 minutes into voting. But let’s face it, I had watched many of the episodes with her and frankly, I enjoyed it. Well not the female host or the insistence upon every celebrity to make that stupid phone hand signal after each performance. But on the whole enjoyed it.

I remember being back in LA listing to Kevin & Bean on my morning commute speaking with the producer of America’s Dancing with the Stars, thinking as they did that this was the worst idea ever for a show not named Cop Rock.

“Only old people would watch that show,” I thought. I may or may not have been right, but I am old and I watch that show. Sign me up for Denny’s chili cheese dog with bacon because I’ve given up (thanks Drew).

The point of all this…well I don’t have a point. But there must be a heck of a lot of us old folks out there and ABC’s marketers have done a fantastic job, because the lines were busy for at least an hour after the show was over. The show is a hit and really it’s a bunch of b-level (at best) celebrities and retired sports stars - not sure why they rank so low with the American public at large - ballroom dancing. And for the most part, not doing it well. My 17-month old daughter still runs like she’s drunk, but she could don ice skates and dance better than Jerry Springer.

By the way, if you’re a Washington County (PA) member and you’re attending its Annual Awards show and Business Expo tonight, stop by for a free online marketing consultation.

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