July 17th, 2008
by gkblog
OK, so here’s the situation: my website (for my company, Firebrand Communications) is still being developed. It’s a long story, alright? Don’t ask… I already have a company logo and business cards, etc. But no website …yet. Which means I haven’t done some of the marketing I was planning to do because…. I don’t have a website to send people to… because I want everything in place and “branded” before I made a big marketing push.
However, some people in one of my networking groups this week were telling me that I should start my own blog or do a MySpace page or whatever — anything! — in the interim.
So my question is: is it better to have a “brand” in place before you promote yourself/your company or should you just jump in and worry about branding later?
If anyone has any insight or experience with this kind of situation, speak up!
July 17th, 2008
by gkblog
In 1984 Ronald Reagan declared July to be National Ice Cream Month. Americans typically eat the most ice cream during July and August.
Some more ice cream trivia in honor of the special time of year:
Which state produces the most ice cream?
New York
California
Wisconsin
Answer: California. The great dairy states of New York and Wisconsin aren’t even in the top five ice-cream-producing states.
After the United States, what country consumes the most ice cream?
Canada
Denmark
New Zealand
Answer: New Zealand. Denmark is third and Canada takes seventh place.
“Rocky Road” ice cream was created after what historical event?
the stock market crash of 1929
U.S. entry into World War II
U.S. entry into the Vietnam War
Answer: Edy’s Grand Ice Cream created Rocky Road after the stock market crash of October 1929. The company’s founders “hoped the name would give people something to smile about.”
July 10th, 2008
by gkblog
What domain name did Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, originally want as his domain name?
EchoBay.com
Omidyar created Auction Web in 1995, intending it to be an online “flea market,” but discovered that the name auctionweb.com was already taken. EchoBay.com, which came from Pierre’s Echo Bay Technology Group, was also unavailable, and the closest he could come to it was “eBay.”
He used the lower-case “e” so that people could pronounce the name properly — and, no, it is not Pig Latin.
Also, that tale about him starting the site to help his wife with her PEZ collection is probably not true.
(Thanks to dailymixedtrivia for his tidbit).
If you’re really into eBay stats and trivia, visit The Bid Floor, a site that caters to eBay business people.
July 9th, 2008
by gkblog
With the price of everything — everything — going up, I was asked to write an article — including lots of advice and tips — for South Florida Parenting magazine. (…because I used to write a financial column for the mag, that’s why.)
In the process, I learned learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know before, such as:
- Don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher – you can save $70 a year, by FPL’s estimate. Also, use the energy-saving cycle to shorten the run time and save water.
- Turn off the ceiling fan when you leave the room. A fan that runs constantly can cost $7 a month, depending on size and age.
(Huh. I always thought running the fans would keep the house cooler and meant I wouldn’t have to run the A/C as much.)
- Gas expands in the heat. Fill up in the morning or evening when it’s cooler and you’ll get more for your money. Also, pay cash — you’ll know wxactly how much you’re spending.
- If you have expired coupons, pass them along to a military family. If they’re stationed abroad, they can use the coupons at the base commissary for up to six months past the expiration date.
The full list will be available in an upcoming issue of South Florida Parenting magazine, which you can pick up just about everywhere in South Florida. Not all articles are available online, btw.)
