tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-139577652024-03-16T00:03:28.593-05:00experience architect weblogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-64855527214261927592015-03-05T16:50:00.000-06:002015-03-07T22:42:04.798-06:00We MOVED! <br />
<br />
You're looking at the Live Path Experience Architect Blog, 2005-2013. We redesigned the Live Path site and have moved all content to Word Press. Posts from 2014 and beyond can be found on the new, integrated site here: at <a href="http://www.livepath.net./">www.livepath.net.</a> We'll be maintaining this as the blog archive, which is cross-linked to the new blog/site. <br />
<br />
We've incorporated our new look and feel here (at least it's close) and we'll be keeping this as an archive of posts from 2005 - 2015.<br />
<br />
We hope you like the fresh new look and feel of the new Live Path site, and look forward to posting more in the future!<br />
<br />
- The Team at Live Path.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-43170174370599442102014-12-10T19:33:00.001-06:002015-03-05T16:51:57.055-06:00Growth Hacking: Not Just for Marketers Anymore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://livepath.net/growth-hacking-not-just-for-marketers-anymore/" target="_blank">This post has been moved! View it here</a>! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-51364706906664434732014-10-13T12:43:00.000-05:002015-03-05T16:51:22.578-06:00Live Path's work @SXSW<br />
<a href="http://livepath.net/live-paths-work-sxsw/" target="_blank">This post has been moved here.</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-58190248040116538922014-09-11T17:00:00.004-05:002015-03-05T16:53:04.129-06:00Good Disruption, Bad Disruption, Kiosks & Ziosks.<a href="http://livepath.net/good-disruption-bad-disruption-kiosks-ziosks/" target="_blank">This post has moved! View it here. </a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-80376113729138517422014-03-05T02:14:00.003-06:002015-03-05T16:53:52.682-06:00Meet us at SXSW - 17 events, 32 speakers and unlimited inspiration! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://livepath.net/meet-us-at-sxsw-17-events-32-speakers-and-unlimited-inspiration/" target="_blank">THIS POST HAS MOVED! VIEW IT HERE! </a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-76656547636219004262013-05-10T12:12:00.000-05:002013-05-11T01:48:01.315-05:00How I armed my kid to battle predatory brands, and what she taught me in return.<b>Surprise surprise - there's a social media firestorm brewing about Ambercrombie and Fitch again....</b><br />
<br />
This embroilment is related to a <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/elisadoucette/2013/05/10/is-abercrombie-fitch-the-newest-member-of-the-mean-girls/" target="_blank">comments made by CEO, Mike Jeffries</a> in an interview, related to Abercrombie's targeting of the "cool set." In Jeffries' terms, the brand is exclusive by design - targeted to the "cool" and "beautiful" kids -- and definitely <b>not fat or ugly kids</b>. <br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: yellow;">Do the research to dig out the quotes yourself, please... because frankly, this drama isn't the point of this post. Despite Jeffries' diversity hypocrisy, snobbery and stupidity --- and even as a "fat chick" -- I don't really care.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Truth is -- Abercrombie thrives on this kind of attention </b>-- This is not new. This is their MO. Google it. They've got media exposure in Huffpo, Forbes, and a ton of major media outlets in addition to social and blog posts. I'm not even linking to it all. <b>Abercrombie doesn't care if you are ticked. If they <i>wanted</i> you to like them, they would never have attempted to market thong underwear with suggestive sexual comments for 8 year olds. </b>Jeffries probably doesn't even care that people are ripping into his physical looks and calling him ugly and hideous in social media - and I daresay it's not just because that behavior is stupid, mean, hypocritical and indefensible.<br />
<br />
<b>They don't care that you're mad because they believe attention is good for business. </b>This whole move is focused on driving affinity for certain type of customer -- the "cool kids" -- and they are confident it will create a stronger desire in the "neglected fringes" to "fit in" via brand association.<b>They laugh all the way to the bank! </b><br />
<br />
<b>Abercrombie and Fitch doesn't care - about you as a person or a parent - or even about your kids. They've also done their homework. There's a pretty good chance that left to themselves, your kids - cool or not, ugly or not, fat or not, are highly likely to continue wanting their overpriced goods</b>.<br />
<br />
This is precisely what motivated me to take action seven years ago with my step-daughter, Michelle - and I thought I'd share an updated article I placed on posterous about it.<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: yellow;">How I armed my kid to battle a predatory brand - and what she taught me in return.</b><br />
<br />
When my step daughter, Michelle was 15, she became frustrated because Dad didn’t want her to shop at Abercrombie and Fitch. <b>We discussed it in some depth and agreed it was important not to make her feel like her choices were being taken away from her unfairly - but to help her make good choices on her own.</b><br />
<br />
<b>So I took her on an Ambercrombie shopping trip. </b> I took the trip as a springboard for talking about the brand - the in-store experience, marketing, clothing, quality, sourcing, etc. After all, this is part of what I do for a living and the store visit provided great fodder for discussion. We walked into the cologne laden lounge-like setting.... There were the traditional shirtless, steamy model posters everywhere and rows of neatly folded garments. <br />
<br />
Michelle's first comment was related to her surprise over the lack of variety in the <b>homogenous stacks and racks of mass-produced clothing</b>. We watched as girls bopped in and out around us… looking very much the same…ponytails with headbands, tight layered t-shirts and perfect butt sweats with the Abercrombie moniker on the seat. It was interesting to watch the clothes walk around the store… This was especially true for my daughter -- a kid who tried her hand at sewing her own clothes and making her own wallets out of duct tape (sheerly to be unique). <b> For her, the seeming lack of individuality was a turnoff.</b><br />
<br />
Her next objection was over <b>prices</b>. I had explained to her that she was welcome to spend her own money in the store, but that her dad and I would not spend any money there because of our objections to the company's sexual marketing to tweens and teens. We made our way to the sale table, where the cheapest thing we found was a simple white tank top for $38 … It was cute, but nothing special. <b>As our babysitting pro clutched on to her hard-earned dollars, she was simply offended by the prices.</b><br />
<br />
This led into a chat about <b>value</b>. We took a look at <b>garment construction</b> inspecting the material, stitching, threads on hemlines and embellishments. We looked at construction, which was inconsistent and not noticeably better than Target or Old Navy. We talked about quality and workmanship.<br />
<br />
Next, we looked at <b>labels</b>…. the ones that were labled were made in third world - in places like Bangladesh. It was sobering for her to consider the $56 tank-top on sale for $38 that she held likely cost less than a dollar to produce and was made by some of the poorest people on the planet… in a country that has been criticized for exploitation of workers and child labor. (Of course, Abercrombie isn't alone in that business conduct - which is a sobering thought all around.)<br />
<br />
Then we talked about the <b>packaging</b>. We talked about how the storefront made us feel... the in-store "exclusive club-like" experience ... we talked about the clothes and the power of wearing a brand on your body. We talked about the pictures of the models and the marketing in the dressing rooms and the messages they conveyed.<br />
<br />
We praised the praise-worthy -- we critically discussed the rest. In truth, while I'd like to say I was objective -- I am sure I was not. I did try to issue self restraint.<br />
<br />
<b>Holding my tongue</b><br />
<br />
<i><b>I didn’t ask her to picture herself or HER child (regardless of age) in one one of these "cute" Abercrombie statement t-shirts:</b></i><br />
<br />
For Girls:<br />
<ul>
<li>Tie me up, don't tie me down</li>
<li>All bed, no breakfast</li>
<li>I always end up on top</li>
<li>Anyone you can do, I can do better</li>
</ul>
For Boys:<br />
<ul>
<li>She Goes Both Ways</li>
<li>Ride the tip</li>
<li>Maybe Partying will Help</li>
<li>Volley My Balls Please</li>
</ul>
<i><b>I didn’t point her to their quarterly “catalog” FILLED with sexual imagery and emaciated girls that might suggest to my daughter that her cute, blossoming figure was less than acceptable. </b></i><br />
<br />
<b><i>I didn't tell her about <a _mce_href="http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ScreenTestView?catalogId=10901&storeId=10051&langId=-1" href="http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ScreenTestView?catalogId=10901&storeId=10051&langId=-1" target="_blank">the company's then web-based and explicit “Screen Test” area</a>, </i></b>where an anonymous login links users to explicit video of muscular guys and hauntingly thin girls romping around in full nudity, stripping for each other - with butts and boobs for miles and naked make out sessions that feature Guys with girls, girls kissing girls, some allusions to guy on guy action. (Note: For copyright reasons I didn't post screen shots - but I guarantee many parents would have been shocked to see this stuff).<br />
<br />
<b><i>All of this, produced and made accessible by a brand that wanted to take her money and put its brand on her adorable backside. No way. My decision about Abercrombie was an easy one. This wasn't about me.</i></b><br />
<br />
What was harder was contending with this beautiful, blonde 15 year old, who was racing into adulthood and developing her own identity. <b>While I hoped she'd agree with her Dad and me, it was much more important to help her make decisions like this for herself. What was more important was helping her recognize and deal with predatory brands. </b>So my mission was to get her to think — for herself — armed with some new facts, and guided by her own conscience. I wanted her to be honest. After all, if we raised her right, she should be able to come to solid conclusions on her own.<br />
<br />
<b>Her conscience told her to leave — and she has never gone back.</b><br />
<br />
Today, our daughter is 22. She carries a new (and sometimes surprising) set of convictions about the way she eats, consumes and shops that is only partially rooted in this experience. When she came back from a year and a half abroad doing mission/humanitarian work in New Zealand, India, Fiji and Samoa…she informed me she’d no longer accompany me to my favorite coffee house because they don’t unilaterally support Fair Trade. She won’t drink soda because it’s making us all fatter (<i>and we’re SO blessed to have free, clean water</i>!) She won’t eat chocolate that isn’t “fair trade” stamped because she’s been studying human trafficking in the Ivory Coast. She doesn’t want to be used as a billboard for any brand. She shops from thrift stores first when she needs something because it's cheaper and more socially and environmentally responsible. That's my girl.<br />
<br />
What's cooler still is that she isn't a bummer to be around. She lives her life non judgmentally and with a smile, positive attitude and outlook. She inspires new convictions in me and others. I can see how Michelle’s convictions can quickly be considered and even embraced by a group. Especially as she lives her values in an edifying way -- living them proudly and unapologetically and beautifully - in praise of higher living. I can imagine the cascading impact her life can have. <br />
<br />
(And I can't take credit for her -- she has always been an incredible kid.)<br />
<br />
I wish I'd had that quality at her age. I didn't have her courage. I often feared that living in alignment with my true core values would be isolating. So, I compromised, a lot. I didn't "get" comfortable in my own skin until much later in life. <br />
<br />
<b>Accepting the Truth comes with a price.</b><br />
<br />
I didn’t mean to create an activist here - I was trying to be a decent parent by making a few points about something I know - which is customer experience and marketing. I was just trying to be faithful with the insights I've been given.<br />
<br />
The thing is, once you flutter your eyes a bit, what you see around you - and what lies behind the scenes can be a rude and somewhat overwhelming awakening. Faced with the truth, we can choose to respond in a positive way or curl up in the fetal position of denial. <br />
<br />
I'm glad she is making good choices. I can't help but feel the conviction she embraces today will give her an early edge in life - leading into a truly influential and powerful way of living. It's based on a simple principle:<br />
<br />
<b>Living our values gives us the power to destroy the market for reprehensible things … and create new markets for lovely things. </b><br />
<br />
This isn't about Abercrombie and Fitch. I don't like the company but it isn't the enemy. <b> Our real enemies are our own apathy, denial and a lack of moral fiber. </b> If you care about Abercrombie, by all means do as your conscience dictates. There are a million ways to voice your concern and fight back. If you don’t care about Abercrombie - that’s totally fine. Pick another platform! Human Trafficking, Sustainable Agriculture, Global Warming.... The fields are ripe with opportunity.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Whatever you do - don’t just sit there.</b> As the truth builds and cascades around us - we must choose to respond. We won’t always be right, or be perfect (I am so far off it’s not funny). We won't be able to take on every battle. We will sometimes be unwitting hypocrites and we won't always win. However, we can do our BEST, for ourselves, our kids and our future.<br />
<br />
<strong>After all, if we don't take responsibly, we lose our right to complain. </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
<strong>What do you think?</strong><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-57307731142828953792013-03-08T01:18:00.004-06:002013-03-08T01:18:41.439-06:00Organizing the Open Future Series at SXSW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ieeesa.org/sxsw" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkqIWdAbX9U0s-0lii_uoc9eF3ehPWUY80L9w7e5QPcjn-mvBpFmgxNynBOmDPl5trfQM0hYettrNmJUPy9WIFq93PEHBlBWWe07b3sgNxrR21NJ7wPNFpKI1QxSUGLDkYAVi/s320/OFSeries.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It's not often I get to share what I do for my clients but fortunately, SXSW is one of those times when I get to be more promotional. Taking a break from the digital/experience/transformation strategy scene, I'm organizing another series (an experience in itself) at SXSW this year for <a href="http://standards.ieee.org/" target="_blank">IEEE</a> in coordination with the <a href="http://standards.ieee.org%3Eieee%20in%20association%20with%20the%20%3Ca%20href%3D/" http:="" target="blank" www.w3.org="">W3C</a>.<br />
<br />
It's my third year doing cause-related work at SXSW and I must say it's addicting. In 2011, I was honored to be able to establish <a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2011/03/giganto-update-on-grassroots-caring-via.html" target="blank">SXSW Cares/SXSW4Japan.</a> with my buddy, Rob Wu of <a href="http://www.causevox.com%22%20target%3Dblank/" target="_blank">Causevox</a>. This grassroots effort helped us raise nearly $150k in online donations (and more via text) for the Red Cross Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami fund. Best way to spend SXSW<b>ever</b>! <br />
<br />
In 2012 I organized <a href="http://standardsinsight.com/ieee_company_detail/beer-and-robots-at-sxsw-ieee-sas-next-generation-networking" target="blank">three event series</a> for the IEEE with <a href="http://www.dekaresearch.org/">Dean Kamen</a> and Japanese sensation, <a href="http://www.maywadenki.com/" target="blank">Maywa Denki</a>. Our events celebrating <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.usfirst.org" target="blank"> FIRST®</a> and inspired attendees to invest in the next-generation of innovators to Build a Better World. It was an unforgettable and rewarding experience.<br />
<br />
In the midst of my exhaustion, I swore I wouldn't do this to myself again, but this year, we've gone even bigger.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.ieeesa.org/sxsw" target="_blank">2013 "IEEE andW3C Open Future Series"</a> will be anchored by Web Inventor and W3C Director <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee" target="_blank">Tim Berners-Lee</a> and IEEE-SA <a href="http://blogs.synopsys.com/thestandardsgame/" target="_blank">President Karen Bartleson</a>. Our series features a total of 17 world–changing technology makers and covers a spectrum of topics including the Open Web, Internet of Things, Social Robotics, Self Hacking, Copyright and Disruptive Technologies and Augmented Reality.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ieeesa.org/sxsw" style="font-weight: bold;" target="blank">Check out our schedule here</a><b>. </b><br />
<br />
Of course, there must be a good cause. This year, our events also seek to build awareness for <a href="http://www.openstand.org/" target="_blank"><b> OpenStand</b></a>, a global community founded by IEEE, W3C, ISOC, IETF and IAB that is dedicated to promote the principles that have inspired the exponential technology expansion, innovation and economic growth of past decades. In an era where technology is advancing faster than we can understand its impacts … when critical discussions about privacy, security, human rights, borderless commerce are occurring — OpenStand encourages technology professionals to embrace the time-tested <a href="http://www.open-stand.org/principles" target="_blank">OpenStand Principles</a> to develop global technologies for the benefit of humanity -- using those principles as a guide in critical discussions to keep the future open.
<br />
<br />
In short, I'm proud to be organizing the kind of events I would personally pay to see at SXSW. I'm honored to work with such great clients and a distinguished group of accomplished and incredibly smart folks -- the people who have brought us the Internet, Ethernet, Wireless and more life changing and world-changing, revolutionary technologies. <br />
<br />
(Incidentally - I'm also quite humbled to be the mental midget in the room.)<br />
<br />
Mostly, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to help conceive and organize this series for IEEE. I'm looking forward to a terrific SXSW and hoping that our contributions will make the conference even better for our attendees. Stoked about the dialog that will ensure, and that just weeks ago, Adobe and Cisco sponsoring two of our events, including our Open Developers Meetup and private reception with Tim Berners-Lee.<br />
<br />
Before sign off to get some sleep -- I want to introduce you to BC "Heavy" Biermann, Founder of <a href="http://www.theheavyprojects.com/" target="_blank">T<b>he Heavy Projects</b></a><b> </b>and one of our esteemed Augmented Reality speakers. Heavy's work with the Ad Council and reimagining public spaces is, well -- cool, cool stuff. We're pretty honored that, to promote OpenStand and our Augmented Reality panel, the team created (in short order!) a "Virtual Takeover" AR Demo of the Driskill Hotel for us. Here's a brief video of the demo. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/60973602" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/60973602">The Driskill Hotel Takeover</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2798581">The Heavy Projects</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
<br />
You Just hold up your camera on your mobile device and an interactive virtual layer appears before you. Tear down walls — watch it animate… while cars and people pass you by. It's pretty cool. Check out the site for more amazing demos -- like murals that have their own virtual environments!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Goodnight for now, folks!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-44496573653731568522012-12-04T15:50:00.002-06:002013-01-21T17:41:26.462-06:00Feature Video: Digital CitizenshipThe .org domain recently produced a documentary about the use of the .org domain by what it calls "digital citizens." While I'd almost rather poke myself in the eye than see myself fumbling along on video....I was honored that SXSW4japan was selected as a case study for .org success, alongside the Occupy Wall Street movement, Wikipedia and others. I was interviewed along side my amazing partner in crime, <a href="http://www.causevox.com/" target="_blank">Rob Wu</a> this spring for this video, which explores how every day people have used the .org domain. I thought it was really well produced -- and inspiring. The slogan "Power to the People" comes to mind. We are featured at around 14:20. <br />
<br />
For some reason, I can't embed this but here's the link to the video. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/43974606" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/43974606">The Digital Citizen</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/cloudraker">CloudRaker</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-5633909571272677782012-11-07T19:40:00.001-06:002012-11-07T20:50:55.966-06:00On Values, Hypocrisy and Customer Experience<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>674</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3848</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Live Path</o:Company>
<o:Lines>32</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>4513</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My friend Joel once pointed me to this incredible
article <u><a href="http://grist.org/article/food-do-you-have-the-balls-to-really-change-the-food-system/" target="_blank">“Do You Really Have the Balls to Change Our Food System.”</a></u> The article
provides a reality check for people who think shopping at Farmer’s Markets,
Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s will make a difference in the way our food is
grown and produced. As someone who values the experiences those environments offer, I found the article
pretty sobering — not just because what the writer is saying about our food
system - but because she suggests that
<i>if we really embody the values we claim to have, we must be prepared to pay
dearly for them</i>. This may require us to
work harder, sacrifice conveniences, lose some perks, change our habits, and
even pay more for what we consume.</div>
<h3>
This hasn’t been the American way for quite some time now!</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a day and age where consumers have more power than ever
before, we be should jumping for joy at our newfound ability to stand up, voice
our opinions and join with others to introduce positive social and economic
change. At the same time, doing so does
require that we stand up, first. This requires
the displacement of apathy and the exertion of effort. It also requires us to take on an increased
level of exposure. With our newfound
power comes responsibility. So, we have
to ask ourselves whether we are willing to do our part. </div>
<h3>
But I AM active. I’m
socially responsible. Really? </h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you were asked “<a href="http://www.rugandrelic.com/Category/About-Us/Our-Products/Fair-Trade-Considerations.aspx" target="_blank"><b>Would you buy a rug knowingly produced by abused children in a third-world sweat shop?</b></a>” or “<a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/ask-trader-joe-s-to-sell-abuse-free-food" target="_blank"><b>Would you eat a product if you knew it was harvested by men, women and child slaves who were victims of human trafficking?</b></a>” most of you would emphatically say “NO!” </div>
<h3>
But the keyword here is “KNOWINGLY,” isn’t it?</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chances are, you can easily get both of the items above from any local store or national retail chain. It’s it’s the knowing will either force us to change our behavior or
defy the values we claim to hold. Sometimes not knowing is just easier for us. NOT
knowing gives us permission to continue to take the path of least
resistance. Not knowing lets us
complacently consume based on convenience, rather than by listening to our
conscience. Not knowing lets us continue in relative comfort, requiring no sacrifice. Truth however, often demands
change by searing the conscience.</div>
<h3>
With regard to your values, what do you DO know? </h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First things first. For starters, simply ASK YOURSELF whether you are
living your values based on what you ALREADY know - by judging what's "in the bag." For example, let's say you are totally against pornography because you feel it exploits women. Do you buy goods from purveyors of porn? Have you really <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pornographic" target="_blank">checked lately</a>? It's everywhere. Ouch. <br />
<br />
Think about other purchases that trigger your conscience - maybe there are environmental, labor practice or cultural or other concerns that you see being violated where you shop. Do you buy from companies that support
charities, religious or political leanings you are against? Do you invest in companies that violate your values? Do you purchase from companies that have policies you don't agree with? Do you knowingly consume products that have
unhealthy or unethically produced ingredients in them? <br />
<br />
When a brand supports
exploitation, or promotes content that you find offensive, does that really impact the way you shop on a
day-to-day basis? Is it a short-term impact or long-term? Maybe you are overwhelmed...and believe it's too hard to live your values this way, because the offenses are too numerous to count.</div>
<h3>
When you are offended, what do you DO?</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This isn’t a preaching session here… if anything I’m
processing as I write this article, because I’m struggling too. As I type this on my MacBook Pro, checking my iPhone for a text, here's <a href="http://bgr.com/2012/07/11/apple-labor-violations-china-foxconn/" target="_blank">at least one immediate issue</a> that renders me STUCK -- between the desire to stage a boycott and the desire to curl up into a ball. Sound familiar?<br />
<br />
Where and when do you draw the line? When a brand assaults you, do you grumble
privately? Do you boycott brands and flog them publicly in social media? Do you call, write, post about the injustice
or wrong you see? Do you rally others to
the cause? It’s your right to exercise
this freedom of speech and free market behavior… but do you exercise it? Do you believe change is beyond you? How do you choose your battles? What motivates you to ACT? When is enough really enough? </div>
<h3>
Do you believe that your voice and behavior make a difference?</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In an era of social media and rapid change, these are important questions to ask - and an essential ones for each one of us to answer. Unfortunately, while we should be chomping at the bit to be heard, many of us roll over. Many more of us are more content and comfortable in our ignorance. However, as we proceed in this manner, we unwittingly tell others our values do not matter. We unwittingly create markets for brands that exploit the values we claim to have and, in doing so, we leave room for nothing but exploitation and ridicule. We create markets for what offends us by telling companies that our values just really don't matter. And by turning a blind eye, we also encourage others around us to do the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What's so amazing is that it doesn't have to be this way. Today, the
power of one can be magnified by millions, if we only would do our best to really live out our values rather than rolling over. This applies to all of us. In an era where many people feel they are
not represented well by politicians and lawmakers — perhaps the most empowering
thing we can do is reclaim our power as individuals - and as consumers by standing up for deeply held convictions. I believe, when our consciences are seared, this is a natural outcome because light, truth and knowledge will compel us to act with courage and righteous determination --> and hopefully with love and respect for others, as well.<br />
<h3>
What brands reflect your values?</h3>
</div>
<div>
We all have different priorities and values as well as different levels of tolerance for the values of others.<i> I don't want to debate those values here</i>. However, as a CX (customer experience) practitioner, I am keenly interested in the connection between human values and the brands humans love. For example, <a href="http://www.dove.us/Social-Mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx" target="_blank">Dove</a>'s Campaign for Real Beauty has brought the brand attention for its celebration of the female form regardless of weight, age or body type. <a href="http://www.wholefoods.com/" target="_blank">Whole Foods</a> voluntarily labels all GMO foods as a service to its customers. These are examples of values many people celebrate. These are examples of values that enhance experiences and forge bonds with people. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, I'll ask you, reader - maybe easier questions to answer. What values to you celebrate? What Brands seem to embody those values? Is your answer based on fact and research or merely a high level impression? At your core, are you skeptical that Companies really live their values? Have you ever considered, as a percentage of your spending, how much business you give to brands that support the values you claim to embrace? </div>
<h3>
Hypocrisy goes both ways</h3>
<div>
As consumers, we often have little tolerance for poor experience and hypocrisy with Brands... but hypocrisy goes both ways. For example - we demand that brands embrace our values -- but we can't always have goods CHEAPER that are BETTER (quality, sustainability, feature rich) at the same time. Sacrifices are required on our part. Our demands have a price tag. Unfortunately, many people are not interested in making those sacrifices -- especially in a down economy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Again, I'm preaching to myself. The values component of our consumption is something that each of us, as consumers - and even as citizens - must begin to weigh. As PEOPLE like us begin to do so, perhaps that's when we will begin to stop exploiting people, grow and eat healthier food, think more humanely, take care of our fellow man. Funny thing is, if our consciences are seared, change won't require extensive campaigning, government or legislative intervention -- because as we stand together, we can collectively eradicate the market for the detestable and hidden things that shadow our world. <br />
<br />
Why does this relate to Customer Experience, you ask? It's because, when the detestable is gone, experiences become better for everyone - not just the consumer. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>674</o:Words>
<o:Characters>3848</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Live Path</o:Company>
<o:Lines>32</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>9</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>4513</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-11331210333809168072012-10-01T15:15:00.001-05:002012-11-07T20:28:51.861-06:00Pottery Barn Kids - Email Program Lacks Common SenseI recently moved to a new home. In the context of a week off I did some shopping for the home online and in-store. I surfed <a href="http://www.pbkids.com/" target="_blank"><b>Pottery Barn Kids</b></a> for some things for my son's new room. Unfortunately, I also signed up for email (to get a coupon) and that's when Pottery Barn began spamming me every three days. <i>Really? Do people buy things at Pottery Barn every three days? Talk about feeling their own importance. Blargh.</i><br />
<br />
However, the most annoying email I've been getting is what I will call <b>"Big Brother Thanks You" </b>emails. I seem to get them after EVERY site visit, based on my browsing behavior. They basically say this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Thanks for visiting our site and for your interest in (insert product of interest with link). When shopping at potterybarnkids.com: You can read product reviews by other customers and share you opinion; Your satisfaction is guaranteed; Exchange or return items for a refund or merchandise credit; If youhave questions, you can speak to one of our knowledgeable associates at 1.800.993.4923." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="t1" style="width: 254.0px;"><tbody>
</tbody>
</table>
</blockquote>
The email includes links to other products that may be of interest, but includes no incentive (such as a discount or free shipping) that would compel me to buy said object. Here's a sample:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN04nLdGlGc2TAmK7wcYxbBdKI8RkHSP3O85NMuw5EQMq1y6rRVBD5e1-lcZRU5NVHO8uWWEphWFP3KoZaemRgt65XXT68FMzOjJllnSC_rt6KwKYXUAgcn8g69ZXOINH0DKtm/s1600/PBmail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN04nLdGlGc2TAmK7wcYxbBdKI8RkHSP3O85NMuw5EQMq1y6rRVBD5e1-lcZRU5NVHO8uWWEphWFP3KoZaemRgt65XXT68FMzOjJllnSC_rt6KwKYXUAgcn8g69ZXOINH0DKtm/s320/PBmail.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Okay. It's pretty and while it may seem innocent enough - to me, the experience is off putting. Beyond that, I betcha it's not real effective. Here's why:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>First, </b>Thanks for following me around the store and watching my every move, and recording it in your database. I don't really need to know you're doing this - and trust you LESS now that it's clear you do. If an associate did this in a real store it would freak me out - so this isn't so different. The first one made me uneasy - the fourth one made me angry. <i><span style="color: #b45f06;"><b>Creepy!</b></span></i></li>
<li><b>Second,</b> I looked at MANY items during my visit. If you check, you'll see a trend. Why this one item was selected is beyond me. I didn't favorite it, put it in my cart, etc. Perhaps I stopped to answer a call and my time on the page was longer than others. However, I was looking at BEDDING - not BEDS -and not even these items... So your picker is wayyyy off. <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"> <i><b>Irrelevant!</b></i></span></span></li>
<li><b>Third,</b> your politeness seems ingenuine ... because it's basically an<i> excuse to try and convince me to purchase something</i> - anything! Really. It makes me want to purchase. NOT. <i><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Fake!</span></b></i></li>
<li><b>Finally, </b>if you want to date me, you should get to know me first. Then perhaps you'll be able to make me an offer I can't refuse. Groping me on our first date won't get you what you want. <i><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Ineffective!</span></b></i></li>
</ul>
Based on what I'm experiencing (because it really is all about the experience) the marketers at Pottery Barn Kids (and PB itself)... do a great job at creating pretty emails - and a poor job at knowing the customer. Based on my observations, they don't seem to be looking at category trends, repeat product interest (they might - it's not clear to me) and purchase history for online shoppers. If they did, they'd have made a sale instead of turning me off.<br />
<br />
A better formula would be to pick up on my category trend. I was interested in bedding. You'd probably note that over the course of my visits, I repeatedly looked at 2-3 specific sheet sets. You'd also find that I never pay retail - so you could have sent me a coupon.<br />
<ul>
<li>We noticed you seem to like this bedding, here's $5 off, just for you!</li>
<li>We noticed you bought (insert product)<insert product="product">. We hope you love it. Here are some items that go with it!</insert></li>
<li>We noticed your interest in (insert product)<item checked="checked" out="out" you="you">. Just thought we'd let you know, it's now on sale. Go to it, you bargain shopper!</item></li>
<li>You decide. Take $5 off any (insert item name - e.g. sheet set) for one day only!</li>
<li>We noticed you once added (insert item) to your cart. Good news is, it's now on sale. Come and get it!</li>
<li>Hey, Leigh. We thought we'd let you know that all (insert product category)<category be="be" in="in" interested="interested" may="may" you="you"> is now on sale! </category></li>
</ul>
<br />
On the up-side at least PB Kids allows users to eliminate "information specific to my interest" emails. I'd actually like emails like this -- but only when these emails are triggered based on information I volunteer. It's rather creepy having PB Kids decide for me, and bad when they decide wrong.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS6m2fXB0EY6h3pxmX5PJmWR7rgsG8QtYvYVoyAS5zrtxsABtRoPw0glbWTsGDEsQVQ-rgC5nyEFv7Bt5ynntEz-2vaSwZ7icdiGc95f-rR6a7EqW_ZLepfc-FD4W62aPtmbH/s1600/preferemces.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS6m2fXB0EY6h3pxmX5PJmWR7rgsG8QtYvYVoyAS5zrtxsABtRoPw0glbWTsGDEsQVQ-rgC5nyEFv7Bt5ynntEz-2vaSwZ7icdiGc95f-rR6a7EqW_ZLepfc-FD4W62aPtmbH/s320/preferemces.png" width="294" /></a></div>
<br />
Further, it's wise to reconsider the 3 day rule and let people <i>choose email frequency.</i> I do want to hear from PBKids -- just not every 3 days. With the equasion above, my only choice is to unsubscribe to limit communications (I hope this works or I shall unsubscribe completely). <br />
<br />
Really, this is a decent case in point: Just because companies CAN do something (e.g. watch my every move and record everything) doesn't mean they SHOULD use that power in a way that feels invasive. It's wise to think about what acceptable behavior is IN STORE and replicate THAT online rather than these kinds of tactics. In the end - business hasn't changed that much. People like service, handshakes, rewards, incentives and quality. Building relationship and affinity and trust is so much more effective than hard sell tactics.<br />
<br />
Rant over. Think anyone will listen?<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-80701069707392746772012-05-23T19:30:00.002-05:002012-05-23T19:31:39.649-05:00Adventures of a Stolen iPhone - A New Disney Tale<br />
<b>I took a little break from work this evening and noticed this shared post on my wall from my friend, <a href="http://www.customersrock.com/" target="_blank">Becky Caroll:</a> </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWWYybynwRdowrwDRKKSg0ffJ3NyHVIuUi4o2Qte-sD6UqQL0LlUtnIbhGkQMNVmObr427pFhEmedHlGlhN-Y08_7ooVmhfL5ROBkbKeYBVmvb-rLMXCN95t9vfpt8T2i7zRR/s1600/Carollpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWWYybynwRdowrwDRKKSg0ffJ3NyHVIuUi4o2Qte-sD6UqQL0LlUtnIbhGkQMNVmObr427pFhEmedHlGlhN-Y08_7ooVmhfL5ROBkbKeYBVmvb-rLMXCN95t9vfpt8T2i7zRR/s1600/Carollpost.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>I clicked to find this album, which was created by a girl named Katy McCaffrey. I don't know Katy, but I like her style. This album is called "Stolen iPhone Adventures".</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFsM9Ga665tz2dFa1lBVQs4Z0JynnyT5TLcRyVpnxU-0tnL5aCVl2MyEXASQxuirvflkZlcd43yQH1aI_P5K9moM4bbaUmaeQ0GwSgyUSyFZmC8huxhnQrjgiw6wBf_1jT1YY/s1600/Photo+album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLFsM9Ga665tz2dFa1lBVQs4Z0JynnyT5TLcRyVpnxU-0tnL5aCVl2MyEXASQxuirvflkZlcd43yQH1aI_P5K9moM4bbaUmaeQ0GwSgyUSyFZmC8huxhnQrjgiw6wBf_1jT1YY/s320/Photo+album.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
<b>In the comments fields, Katy gives permission for people to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4102695045342.2181863.1221948597&type=1" target="_blank">share this</a>, so I thought I'd bring it out of Facebook.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8wc1-uhww9a94NHtnCTFDTxD-M0BOC6SpCsdM4IIKE2ZIluwt59XYztJqyQkqzpAE2-7NAcj28TZufQFsGQQODLbnMkR9TH0cEy3MrJiFiXtNtg6VExWxcKptW-C1s9gJBGA/s1600/share.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8wc1-uhww9a94NHtnCTFDTxD-M0BOC6SpCsdM4IIKE2ZIluwt59XYztJqyQkqzpAE2-7NAcj28TZufQFsGQQODLbnMkR9TH0cEy3MrJiFiXtNtg6VExWxcKptW-C1s9gJBGA/s1600/share.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>According to her posts, her iPhone went missing aboard the <a href="http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/wonder/" target="_blank">Disney Wonder</a> when she was on a cruise. Recently, the phone began updating iCloud, with photos taken by the the guy who (apparently) stole her phone. His name is Nelson. He is a cast/crew member on the Disney Wonder. Here he is in uniform:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqQps7zw1G80PtP_1HTzvzjOWfWM9S3gEof42vKJqGcmsqL5B_oNzXKL3mDprzrtGL8eFEzmFTUopED2Dnqg-ahbjgWC_UyeNKIrcoMmuT1BMsCLDCfdWNSwSf_YGbzJzZwen/s1600/nelson+uniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqQps7zw1G80PtP_1HTzvzjOWfWM9S3gEof42vKJqGcmsqL5B_oNzXKL3mDprzrtGL8eFEzmFTUopED2Dnqg-ahbjgWC_UyeNKIrcoMmuT1BMsCLDCfdWNSwSf_YGbzJzZwen/s320/nelson+uniform.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Evidently, here is his girlfriend, who works at the Spa. She is in many photos.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSKqMm7Nlf6yCrB8dzjgrtRA3ETepNRrn9iPxArzNfbBu58chUbLA2CjH6uRmtpR0VkoaJaVPC_p4g_bl7jSYNBlFFAPP186Dh-gkWx2mBIZ5GhJhuslzK9Vvq3I0QvyxfMjF/s1600/girlfriend+spa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSKqMm7Nlf6yCrB8dzjgrtRA3ETepNRrn9iPxArzNfbBu58chUbLA2CjH6uRmtpR0VkoaJaVPC_p4g_bl7jSYNBlFFAPP186Dh-gkWx2mBIZ5GhJhuslzK9Vvq3I0QvyxfMjF/s320/girlfriend+spa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Here's a photo taken with the partying crew, including the Captain!</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdmq-45OLzvSJN-b31NHdht69Sk8xiJF5XN9BVzH69YToh1pUob4Z75OOXrs4S_DQ5xIr3SONkM-FlpOD6dIAVrMcaxBIV1_c-6CU6zwLfm40f66AIWaG-lW5K18t26CiSSZK/s1600/captain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdmq-45OLzvSJN-b31NHdht69Sk8xiJF5XN9BVzH69YToh1pUob4Z75OOXrs4S_DQ5xIr3SONkM-FlpOD6dIAVrMcaxBIV1_c-6CU6zwLfm40f66AIWaG-lW5K18t26CiSSZK/s320/captain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>There are even photos from ports of call...</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSDQ5BA5Dym1QKNXU_CTEZk5kG1y9QMay5wdU5k0WuhhHFPWnLOR4YeK24EwMaoTOxKGxx0ZbIjdwZCvM_z_7XwnXmArJ7O0UtEcot9-oMpmAvN5NMdCwDDYm54Uoga3Rmto4/s1600/cabo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSDQ5BA5Dym1QKNXU_CTEZk5kG1y9QMay5wdU5k0WuhhHFPWnLOR4YeK24EwMaoTOxKGxx0ZbIjdwZCvM_z_7XwnXmArJ7O0UtEcot9-oMpmAvN5NMdCwDDYm54Uoga3Rmto4/s320/cabo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>And of Nelson, at sunset. Awww.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8Jx6FOaIzLw_dhTBCNs9U9bapU1aALSQ3vUdYXbDD-mocxAK6pwVxjFzG4icSAnBU23zybNUwaS01lPe5mTm48-EeuhVxfIc3B5wmf2-YQ9J4PKbY6D1Zfdp130GoSWKHCuw/s1600/sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8Jx6FOaIzLw_dhTBCNs9U9bapU1aALSQ3vUdYXbDD-mocxAK6pwVxjFzG4icSAnBU23zybNUwaS01lPe5mTm48-EeuhVxfIc3B5wmf2-YQ9J4PKbY6D1Zfdp130GoSWKHCuw/s320/sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>So the question is, what is Disney going to do about this pesky little issue? As of today, this album has been liked by over 7,000 users and it won't be long before major media gets a whiff.</b><br />
<br />
<b>I wrote a blog post, and Katy took the following action.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfZQ_T3jku1W1QTJ5ONgW45yEHih6Yy8m3lIw7A8CwQITst2c-89ZWDLkHglcwXR6-QN4Sps4X3wYBc1Ok0Bdmn59VwXg1r0LemWfDosx_XTu9W7pmEfl0bgFd5X46W_9uzWu/s1600/action.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfZQ_T3jku1W1QTJ5ONgW45yEHih6Yy8m3lIw7A8CwQITst2c-89ZWDLkHglcwXR6-QN4Sps4X3wYBc1Ok0Bdmn59VwXg1r0LemWfDosx_XTu9W7pmEfl0bgFd5X46W_9uzWu/s1600/action.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Good luck, Katy! This reminds me of the time my colleague lost her phone and we tracked it to the cab driver's apartment building, using the "Find my Phone" application. He returned the phone the next day - fortunately, he was an honest guy.</b> <b>Yet another example of how tech can tell on us.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-58933887660451816092012-05-10T13:46:00.001-05:002012-05-10T13:58:44.913-05:00Supercalifragilisticexpiali-Correction!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>After last week’s article <a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2012/05/supercalifragilistic-target-screwed.html" target="_blank">“Supercalifragilistic, TargetScrewed this Chat Up”</a> I had an offline conversation about the piece with
several people who were “in the know” about Target. </b>This post references that
discussion but I’m not sharing the specifics of that discussion in the interest
of those involved.</div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">I do try to be fair, thorough and detailed in my writing. It was pointed out to me that, in my analysis, I missed a few key and what should have been obvious links to the Target.com landing page for National Princess Week. Gaining access to those links <i>may</i> have altered the experience I had somewhat, so I felt it was necessary to follow up quickly with a few notes about this.</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Wall Posts: </span></b> <b>I did not see an obvious link to a page or area explaining what National Princess Week was on the immediate Facebook posts from the 26th. </b> My first place to find a link to Princess Week was scanning Target’s Facebook wall and post comments. I read through two large posts with Julie’s picture with links to the chat and expanded the comment fields. There was another post that linked to Princess Bedding, a princess survey and a princess name generator post. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Sufficed to say, I didn’t look at all of the week's earlier posts, and it would have been right to do so. There were a few links to the landing page before May 26th. </b>Simply put, I missed these because didn’t feel the need to scroll farther than I did: I was very much “in the moment” with regard to the day and the chat. Further, the Julie Andrews graphics were rather tall and took up a decent amount of vertical space – especially with comments expanded (there were hundreds). While I don't have a screen grab of the scrolling window I looked at... Further, Facebook has the annoying pattern of shifting post positions within the left and right columns. In some views it also truncates the number posts that display with a “view more” link and as content is added, it So, while I wouldn't blame any of that for my failure to dig more deeply into the week's posts....I'd assert these dynamics made it easier for me (and others) to miss things, especially left-column content due to typical eye-scanning patterns. Just an attempt to explain my own context as I did this work.<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Here’s the post from the 25th: </b>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLTwtdLOnIF6eKX7lN3lpMSkc8LlLsl9zJWAsLyfFdUk11IEFtYRILpMe7lRKFeIJI2_wo10FYhTxg5xTH9_00d_8tT1ipaI8y4J0XqQewubztPUBah3T_qZYI4ws36jztPzy/s1600/25promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLTwtdLOnIF6eKX7lN3lpMSkc8LlLsl9zJWAsLyfFdUk11IEFtYRILpMe7lRKFeIJI2_wo10FYhTxg5xTH9_00d_8tT1ipaI8y4J0XqQewubztPUBah3T_qZYI4ws36jztPzy/s320/25promo.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b><b>Here are the <i>two </i>posts from the 23rd: </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKoq9ADsO6-fyj3yK4OgrpSmerIepFM6r8vdKNAsaqb9_Tm0Xnf6UClfN1UmEgol5tffxB4YaSDv7f_x4bzoyBUsC-024pThHFfp6Q1lgy9ds_EJcfJqyEfFhigdDwArgGDwP/s1600/23+Promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKoq9ADsO6-fyj3yK4OgrpSmerIepFM6r8vdKNAsaqb9_Tm0Xnf6UClfN1UmEgol5tffxB4YaSDv7f_x4bzoyBUsC-024pThHFfp6Q1lgy9ds_EJcfJqyEfFhigdDwArgGDwP/s320/23+Promo.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFctQ462mx7ushNcXMlBbFe34LMuOXLF8qIBLKavIKjKp63bBrq-5i_ahKfxTRks7gqGLIgi4Hsq2JxhoecZFoNrll3d1jlcZzVK3le2ltb6h7OiD_6at5QI7rjL97lMCtBHR/s1600/23+Promo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFctQ462mx7ushNcXMlBbFe34LMuOXLF8qIBLKavIKjKp63bBrq-5i_ahKfxTRks7gqGLIgi4Hsq2JxhoecZFoNrll3d1jlcZzVK3le2ltb6h7OiD_6at5QI7rjL97lMCtBHR/s320/23+Promo2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Cover Graphic: </span> </b><b>While looking for a landing or informational page, I also looked clicked on the Cover Graphic that showcased National Princess Week. </b> However, the comments there immediately caught my eye and I did not notice the link present above them in the description field (highlighted below). Such is the hazard of multitasking: </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVELpJPXuKH57Gd2CJ_VH9ZHR3bf1vmwp9x17Xfo3GLT_QIUwJ_TyweZUESYc4c1JmpSThiZ0qSGXf_uBqsrw6d7x6ZHbFCa92JJLU71cytMZUolbBoYXwfeO31gJV3ueP11Ir/s1600/!PW_Link.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVELpJPXuKH57Gd2CJ_VH9ZHR3bf1vmwp9x17Xfo3GLT_QIUwJ_TyweZUESYc4c1JmpSThiZ0qSGXf_uBqsrw6d7x6ZHbFCa92JJLU71cytMZUolbBoYXwfeO31gJV3ueP11Ir/s400/!PW_Link.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I did have a screen shot of this graphic, but I inadvertently overwrote the master when I cropped it with the intention of calling out some user comments. Simply put, this link did NOT catch my eye or register - and the omission was unintentional. Not sure why I didn't notice the link --perhaps I was just distracted, maybe I didn't have enough caffeine... perhaps my brain was doing some selective filtering or I was having a bad day. <b><i>Whatever the case, I should not have missed it</i>. It was one of the most logical and obvious places for the link to be present, and it was there.</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">So, I’d like to issue an apology to the fine folks at Target for not digging more deeply and missing these links. While I honestly don't know that seeing those links would have altered much of my feedback, this was very unfortunate oversight on my part, and resulted in an article that was less fair than it should have been. </span></b></div>
<div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Further, I need to make a clarification: </span> <span style="color: #b45f06;">I made an assertion in my article that there was no information available on the Target.com website regarding National Princess Week. However, this assertion wasn't made just because of the oversights I mentioned above.</span></b><span style="color: #b45f06;"> </span>I didn't just look on Facebook's wall for information. When I couldn’t find a link to information within the Facebook wall posts I reviewed, I went to <b>Target.com</b> to find out more. I saw <b>no obvious promotion or link on the home page</b>, so I did a <b>text-search for National Princess Week, which yielded this:</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm6teAGXSU2sSJ5tFJTTTqmxpoIQ0aT0kuPkaz0A2qizjtwJ7jzskKfHRpxz6JMw5s8rBeFSTNAqreKNc8C5sBQcumF6xvt4NwmaWh9v-9rwf9sFO2h7vnQs-LX8Ue-4A35vi/s1600/!Search.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRm6teAGXSU2sSJ5tFJTTTqmxpoIQ0aT0kuPkaz0A2qizjtwJ7jzskKfHRpxz6JMw5s8rBeFSTNAqreKNc8C5sBQcumF6xvt4NwmaWh9v-9rwf9sFO2h7vnQs-LX8Ue-4A35vi/s320/!Search.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Further, as I mentioned in the article, the link to the landing page was <b>not mentioned on the Twitter #targetchat hashtag, the posts of the day (the 26th), the online chat (before during or after) or promoted within the comments field of the day’s posts for users who had the same questions I had. </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>So, taking this all into context, I did feel I jumped through more than my fair share of hoops looking for an obvious, easy to find link to the landing page with information about the event. </b> I was very frustrated by not finding a link, along with other folks. <b> However, it appears I didn’t jump high or look hard enough. Here’s a screen shot of the landing page for National Princess Week: </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19IGl1_BsuXUtaZSN_ZiON52mJu0oyrgt77rpTW74XJQfcGgHQ0x340wWh_j9mQvnhp9N9Dh1QZyrZ-nxmR463Q9Ob2yrxLXthrE29zqBpnogMNVCjIEdYYRGiShO7nZ84QEQ/s1600/!NPW_LandingPage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19IGl1_BsuXUtaZSN_ZiON52mJu0oyrgt77rpTW74XJQfcGgHQ0x340wWh_j9mQvnhp9N9Dh1QZyrZ-nxmR463Q9Ob2yrxLXthrE29zqBpnogMNVCjIEdYYRGiShO7nZ84QEQ/s320/!NPW_LandingPage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The page frames the event in a relatively clear, highly merchandised and sales-driven manner. </li>
<li>The brief video on the landing page from Julie Andrews touches on her books and core promotional messaging, which was a true missing piece in my experience.</li>
<li>The page is not indexed in Target search which is very problematic.
</li>
<li>Embedding of the video is disabled, which is also less than ideal</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
In short, video could have been a linchpin piece of content for Target used in other channels. It would have nicely added more mission-driven context and conversation as embedded within posts, scoring more views, greater awareness and sharing. Disabling the embed code seems like an unfortunate choice, and I'm not sure what hurdles or barriers were present -- but I'm assuming there may have been some. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>In closing, during the discussions I had, I was more than willing to own my mistakes. At the same time, I couldn’t help but stare at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336671139&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Steve Krug’s classic, sitting on my bookshelf, called “<i>Don’t Make Me Think!</i>”</a>. While I stand corrected on my own errors – I agree with Krug. It’s never good to force users to go through hoops to get to your core message. </b><b>I do maintain my assertion that the lack of contextual link placement on the 26th made it too easy to miss Target’s core messages – especially within context -- and I stand by the article.</b> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Finally and in parallel, my experiences managing four events in 24 hours at SXSW recently brought home some realities to me that are relevant here:</span> </b>There’s a lot that goes into managing any event – online or offline. When a person works hard to connect all the dots and create a great experiences, outside criticism can feel painful on the receiving end. It’s important for critics and targets of criticism alike, to realize that most of us want the same things. We are all swimming in the same ocean and dealing with the same challenges:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Immature tools and apps</b></li>
<li><b>Convergence of devices, channels and services</b></li>
<li><b>Managing internal conflicts and misalignment</b></li>
<li><b>Communication breakdowns and challenges</b></li>
<li><b>Coordinating diverse and sometimes difficult audiences</b></li>
<li><b>Managing multiple third-party relationships</b></li>
<li><b>Riding learning curves</b></li>
<li><b>Dealing with the unknown and extenuating circumstances
</b></li>
</ul>
<b>In short, there’s always much more going on behind the scenes than we may recognize or acknowledge. So, my feedback in no way an attempt to diminish the hard work of the fine folks at Target, or of Julie Andrews and her crew did. We are all human, and stuff happens. And much to Target’s credit, they care enough to own their mistakes too -- and to talk about them honestly and openly. </b><b>Kudos and thanks.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ijFFnv0CSc_Z2MP-cOzK_v_umf4UqzJIdyKXiYI0KaUm9_G0UbbgTtT2Fvtyt_ARPcnA-zbKD92T5gVEIF_VdYNIo0NDoAJjfGUfGK4GohLNRQblr0hkHQbpO1Wzib0X0sX/s1600/%2521Tweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32ijFFnv0CSc_Z2MP-cOzK_v_umf4UqzJIdyKXiYI0KaUm9_G0UbbgTtT2Fvtyt_ARPcnA-zbKD92T5gVEIF_VdYNIo0NDoAJjfGUfGK4GohLNRQblr0hkHQbpO1Wzib0X0sX/s1600/%2521Tweet.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b></div>
</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-51782466346250152842012-05-01T15:06:00.001-05:002012-05-01T23:42:14.975-05:00Supercalifragilistic Target Screwed This Chat Up: A case study in what not to do with online events<br />
<b>Let's start at the very beginning... a very good place to start ....</b> Every now and then we find lessons in unexpected places.<b> </b>Last Thursday, having the first slow day in several months, I stopped to check a few Facebook messages and noticed this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNnUDVPX8P_L6-AEuOa2L9W32ocgdadK7Ef8GNXQQw5UT_PapfZsjp5CaQWJiDGahJO1-G3HC6EXk8XYrrbnq2MvPGETWWhavfWZ6UGF50lgmCFinJGnQB_f5eS994JsHgFXV/s1600/CommentBackup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05mCnRFcBnPu8y9kA1oXdPKQHxNmY3VImLhDv1LXbpGPLB71FnUwfbWf27ngMILe4kykthIoQMT7D0Vjhh0wwhLtFRtGmBTXTOt3SBO2UnFsBOFQoAhqgkNLa9myFIb7HBZ4g/s1600/InitialWallPost2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05mCnRFcBnPu8y9kA1oXdPKQHxNmY3VImLhDv1LXbpGPLB71FnUwfbWf27ngMILe4kykthIoQMT7D0Vjhh0wwhLtFRtGmBTXTOt3SBO2UnFsBOFQoAhqgkNLa9myFIb7HBZ4g/s320/InitialWallPost2.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #e69138;">Live Chat with Julie Andrews – I LOVE HER! Starting NOW? Fun!</span></b></div>
<br />
From <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Pbd3RSbLo&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">Mary Poppins</a> the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td8rLo-us3c" target="_blank">Sound of Music</a>, to her appearances on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvi0_Ocn5Vw&feature=player_embedded" target="_blank">The Muppet Show</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO6R4RxnSlw&feature=related" target="_blank">The Carol Burnett Show</a> and her films, including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsHVLaNsCSg" target="_blank">Victor/Victoria</a> and even the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUyXnJQ56M4&feature=related" target="_blank">Princess Diaries</a>... I'd followed her all my life. Since I also track how businesses use social media, participating sounded like it might prove to be a nice little case study to me... so, I clicked to chat. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3Oyzj2Cp8NLRdaIdmJNfY5GC9S7n-LEeW1ENxBcLGPllgrYTpqVIxXtsjypNP1w-CJhhWqorhb_QIuuuL4squ0_8mQakKJX_5HAmaRXD54sysrCuNB6VgdJOERifMmqYZMc2/s1600/thiseventislive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3Oyzj2Cp8NLRdaIdmJNfY5GC9S7n-LEeW1ENxBcLGPllgrYTpqVIxXtsjypNP1w-CJhhWqorhb_QIuuuL4squ0_8mQakKJX_5HAmaRXD54sysrCuNB6VgdJOERifMmqYZMc2/s400/thiseventislive.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>The chat was obviously getting off to a slow start. I couldn’t see how many had joined, because they didn’t display this in the chat application. </b> Incidentally failure to show participant numbers not only violates commonly accepted practices; it’s a poor way to show the formation of a gathering. There was also Less than one update coming per minute! GRRR.... I almost left, but I really like Julie Andrews.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRViDl_bil1U-D8hrUKgMbtG9QmdyTysdwOblI11BrNj3-bqvayCkJADf8F6Nh5elEJArZiZU4gcsTjwXsoQrPLlPcMDZJQgnJckiWNoL1Ocu6gz3Zt4Pd0G6ER0hBVMFdYt58/s1600/10MinutesIn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRViDl_bil1U-D8hrUKgMbtG9QmdyTysdwOblI11BrNj3-bqvayCkJADf8F6Nh5elEJArZiZU4gcsTjwXsoQrPLlPcMDZJQgnJckiWNoL1Ocu6gz3Zt4Pd0G6ER0hBVMFdYt58/s320/10MinutesIn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>So I waited… A full 10 minutes and a mere nine (!!) posts later, part of me wanted to scream and the other part was rooting for the event and hoping things would pick up!</b> I jumped in and out of the chat window (easy to do because it was so slow, I didn't miss one update). <b>Leaving the browser window open, I sought some answers elsewhere for my outstanding questions. </b><br />
<br />
<b>What was Julie Andrews' relationship to Target and why were they doing this chat? </b>A visit to the Target Fan Page reminded me that Target is promoting the first annual National Princess Week. The image provided no answers. It only triggered more questions (Right Click to enlarge).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PtXhc3O-CtYCMHZqcY7XpXA0m7hoFP9n_dUKzvIixWiQeaHheQHM_Yhs5VPzD_hMZPy5F51mp2bxtvqQedNfifboAVpyEU5hR6oJzwRN4IndXGHD0lFxiV2nVD16mebzVaiQ/s1600/ConfusionCity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PtXhc3O-CtYCMHZqcY7XpXA0m7hoFP9n_dUKzvIixWiQeaHheQHM_Yhs5VPzD_hMZPy5F51mp2bxtvqQedNfifboAVpyEU5hR6oJzwRN4IndXGHD0lFxiV2nVD16mebzVaiQ/s400/ConfusionCity.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"Okay, " I thought, "It makes sense to promote this event with the beloved, Academy Award Winning Stage and Cinema Actress, Singer ... and more recently, Queen of the Princess Diaries movies. Got it" However, I still didn't quite understand: <b>What was National Princess Week, anyway? Was it something Target made up to sell princess merchandise? </b>You'll note that I wasn't the only one who wondered about this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRWW14yEtGxLM8hyphenhyphen2R4l_CZv82nw6YCkt3C23VPbZmfdst4zFAaw9EJf3BtxMXrWglhSr94LqsihxjPK5JjU9gYIdvJI5E_GBSlfLpzppBYGVVChddP83LC053k4P4So8QRJn/s1600/IDKaboutPrincessWeek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRWW14yEtGxLM8hyphenhyphen2R4l_CZv82nw6YCkt3C23VPbZmfdst4zFAaw9EJf3BtxMXrWglhSr94LqsihxjPK5JjU9gYIdvJI5E_GBSlfLpzppBYGVVChddP83LC053k4P4So8QRJn/s1600/IDKaboutPrincessWeek.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>There was nothing on the Target.com website about it.... Some people also complained that there was no retail-store tie-in for National Princess Week? </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bQI6PIL5pLIFdM9kJxpSvbgjgCYsZxdMkwJmiUTvgXXDhyphenhyphen-i8PgWhBh9tuve1Z5CVroIPY6BHb-HaCyZW4y2FmLEV5kiDVlBUP8XOaC4XRd4rkgi6djtpDy0YiuBcWu2t1RY/s1600/retailtiein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bQI6PIL5pLIFdM9kJxpSvbgjgCYsZxdMkwJmiUTvgXXDhyphenhyphen-i8PgWhBh9tuve1Z5CVroIPY6BHb-HaCyZW4y2FmLEV5kiDVlBUP8XOaC4XRd4rkgi6djtpDy0YiuBcWu2t1RY/s1600/retailtiein.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Eager to post a question or two, I went back into the slow grinding chat.</b> Unfortunately, Target opted to use a third-party app that required me to log in with either my Facebook or Twitter handle. I am very conservative with apps on Facebook. I wouldn’t opt-in, because I didn't like the blanket permissions Target's suggested third-party app offered, including posting comments to Facebook on my behalf. Yeah. No thanks! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc3JrQghQblA2Ocsob7jmDpzCwNecTzPm5bXNEx_QC2yx-_BjqxSxHtr08Eb4S7oGbBghH6LTdBe78OQJfmzNcgnM2MjghtZCoYqTtWOazkzwFdU3VsXzhzbAIE8lN4M1YLcS/s1600/FBdisclaimer_umno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc3JrQghQblA2Ocsob7jmDpzCwNecTzPm5bXNEx_QC2yx-_BjqxSxHtr08Eb4S7oGbBghH6LTdBe78OQJfmzNcgnM2MjghtZCoYqTtWOazkzwFdU3VsXzhzbAIE8lN4M1YLcS/s400/FBdisclaimer_umno.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Seeking an alternative route to ask a question, I visited the<b> #Targetchat Twitter chat hashtag that was being **actively promoted** by Target. </b>I went as I thought "Really? They're promoting a twitter hashtag for a Facebook chat? Maybe they've integrated Facebook and Twitter chat in some way... that would be cool. If not, this is going to be really convoluted." <b>Convoluted, it was. I saw less than 10 posts here -- and there was no Twitter-based response from Target (!!) for anything. </b>Twitter users are usually more tech savvy -- yet I wasn't the only one that was confused:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_12niO8DFUwQQYBRThrD2XcTgOaTGIPxD1pxYVtMpJyaA3v3rm_-hDlOMh3qkY7Rh_Y5EHUqsf6WC-SPLuO5PbUOzT9zBZPOgy3Wx3-d-BhAMpvI_bVzsbrMy1XSBiP9CevG/s1600/Twitter+Confusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_12niO8DFUwQQYBRThrD2XcTgOaTGIPxD1pxYVtMpJyaA3v3rm_-hDlOMh3qkY7Rh_Y5EHUqsf6WC-SPLuO5PbUOzT9zBZPOgy3Wx3-d-BhAMpvI_bVzsbrMy1XSBiP9CevG/s320/Twitter+Confusion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
NEXT, I jumped back into the chat, which continued to grind painfully ahead. I learned nothing surprising. Lots of light questions with simple answers… Her favorite things include tea, roses, poodles, crunchy peanut butter, is proud of her daughters and delighted with her grand children. She has favorite moments, ice cream, etc. She seems enchanting and writes like I would imagine she speaks. Lovely.<br />
<br />
<b>However, I wasn’t really <i>learning anything deeper </i>about Julie Andrews. I also couldn’t help but continue to wonder <i>what her stake in this event was</i>.... AND THEN... </b><b>23 minutes in to the 45 minute chat, Dame Andrews mentioned her writing with her daughter and posted a link to her website! </b><i>"Huzzah!"</i> I thought! <i> "Maybe I can find some answers there!"</i> I clicked immediately and here’s what I got:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfXCV94I3raJ-6Mjs1A4HmfO-NLVbHFWWobXU5-lBpPk9Z1UPCwzc5KTuPvY_K26iR5z7HjFFnANos0qkass1BNODLSUEGyCb8yiE56Zic_dLWDkLv7bbyhje0lBKnN0mgv5A/s1600/500error.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfXCV94I3raJ-6Mjs1A4HmfO-NLVbHFWWobXU5-lBpPk9Z1UPCwzc5KTuPvY_K26iR5z7HjFFnANos0qkass1BNODLSUEGyCb8yiE56Zic_dLWDkLv7bbyhje0lBKnN0mgv5A/s640/500error.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Criminy! </b><b>A 500 internal server error message. </b>I refreshed about five times... and got the error each time.<b> </b>I jumped back into Tweet Deck and did an @Target #Targetchat tweet, asking them to tell Julie about the problem. <b>Unfortunately, no one seemed to be moderating the promoted Twitter hashtag, so I have no idea if that comment was shared with Ms. Andrews' team, or not.</b> I got the error for 5-10 minutes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqqAtP-NDxNZpY8KiZ7ww1gTcocl7n8YjY-Ocf4hYo5LuBNzLcdYQo33p2FX5eu6xAzdQvgZ6JH5JnbCQ8LGgVfmro3xZ5xTbjp_SlAn0MRVbbQ8VLhWuv4NlIYTbmDxZWTOm/s1600/mytweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqqAtP-NDxNZpY8KiZ7ww1gTcocl7n8YjY-Ocf4hYo5LuBNzLcdYQo33p2FX5eu6xAzdQvgZ6JH5JnbCQ8LGgVfmro3xZ5xTbjp_SlAn0MRVbbQ8VLhWuv4NlIYTbmDxZWTOm/s320/mytweet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>I was, at this point, rather flabbergasted by the mismanagement of this event. From this unfortunate problem, to the very poor event moderation, to the chat application Target had selected, to the fragmentation of the experience between Twitter and Facebook, to the arduous and slow discussion going on -- it was all just so poorly executed! The strategist in me did a forehead slap.</b><br />
<br />
I jumped back into to the Target Facebook page, where I noticed more problems. First, <b>I noticed someone posting on Target’s wall that the chat
application they used by “CoverIt Live” (by Demand Media) wasn’t
working. </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40w2-J9FFCeTz1DLz0FzugVg5g_MaILMRieXl3oJ0PjeG3qKen9eCq_Pcs4duq18EtEWgzkRQc4W34ePCUVcOo4igbwcwKD2KhRLdzI9Oh930H8_CwzeretwRaae5MeHkdo2-/s1600/TargetWall+Post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40w2-J9FFCeTz1DLz0FzugVg5g_MaILMRieXl3oJ0PjeG3qKen9eCq_Pcs4duq18EtEWgzkRQc4W34ePCUVcOo4igbwcwKD2KhRLdzI9Oh930H8_CwzeretwRaae5MeHkdo2-/s1600/TargetWall+Post.jpg" /></a></div>
Again, no responses from Target Community Managers (Hello? Does Target even have them?!). <b>Next, I noticed a mounting number of COMMENTS in two of the Wall Posts about the Julie Andrews Chat. </b> One post (an update to the one I originally saw) had 47 Comments, 1000+ likes and 67 Shares. The original one that drew me in had, at the time, 134 comments, 791 likes and 32 shares.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX7Y1DsiZ6yBbS4jL0R2cDSejSIOKC0XNGkBeREPGbe-U02IgrohUO9l7uUfPipf9CKO-OgrRZHREX717vYaUHmx2iBJe1l3mWmxXsyqAxyKjO4aqNvYYeV7KIEPGOHXWW1OD/s1600/WallPost_Comments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHX7Y1DsiZ6yBbS4jL0R2cDSejSIOKC0XNGkBeREPGbe-U02IgrohUO9l7uUfPipf9CKO-OgrRZHREX717vYaUHmx2iBJe1l3mWmxXsyqAxyKjO4aqNvYYeV7KIEPGOHXWW1OD/s400/WallPost_Comments.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Okay, that sounds good, right? A decent number of people sharing... commenting? WRONG…. Here’s what I saw in the comments fields… </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2UiN0ApfjFxU1OrU5yfqTJDhT9oNIE1O9e4p6ti2y9r22jKJjoiSc1F0Z4XOJES2gEcAX2HhCk8nIFOzbpvWYPCn4y35OoyeDYKhUdqpqJCc_DnT7Ra0f72UotycHVPirtOv/s1600/CommentConfusion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2UiN0ApfjFxU1OrU5yfqTJDhT9oNIE1O9e4p6ti2y9r22jKJjoiSc1F0Z4XOJES2gEcAX2HhCk8nIFOzbpvWYPCn4y35OoyeDYKhUdqpqJCc_DnT7Ra0f72UotycHVPirtOv/s640/CommentConfusion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>As if Chat Application vs. Twitter Chat confusion wasn’t enough – </b><b><i>people were trying to use the comments fields within Target's Wall Posts as a kind of Chat Window</i> - and Target wasn't monitoring or moderating any of this feedback to redirect people to the right place, either!!</b><br />
<br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgYC7tgnH7hy2JAb_KM1eYW67wc4Iwpy-JUQwTgnpAtqZiFdcIQcq5SJRwzGD7YHhyxDNsCe6JX1yBvCcq712IGBjHZF3_r0ql215SIwzfpEXTTf_1SvdKB3THIFwswtRJU00/s1600/epic+fail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgYC7tgnH7hy2JAb_KM1eYW67wc4Iwpy-JUQwTgnpAtqZiFdcIQcq5SJRwzGD7YHhyxDNsCe6JX1yBvCcq712IGBjHZF3_r0ql215SIwzfpEXTTf_1SvdKB3THIFwswtRJU00/s1600/epic+fail.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Further, if you read through them yourself, you’ll see that many not only asked great questions, but others complained their questions hadn’t been answered - or were deleted! </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6DyMOAgTwuuUU2i-HccerqbnZd_D4hdPPc6kxiEtKnzlEvKVbUuBA_ZFcLVvyUT7Zy4qfJOmII4gyUSsV7wvq-1Ep4xvuDyu80D4qbJGF6z6VI5_YLW5jlzaZPBSF78B84KF/s1600/erasingcomments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6DyMOAgTwuuUU2i-HccerqbnZd_D4hdPPc6kxiEtKnzlEvKVbUuBA_ZFcLVvyUT7Zy4qfJOmII4gyUSsV7wvq-1Ep4xvuDyu80D4qbJGF6z6VI5_YLW5jlzaZPBSF78B84KF/s1600/erasingcomments.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
A large number of people in this audience didn’t understand that they
needed to click to participate -- or use the chat
application. <b>People came - but they could not participate in the event! It would have been so easy to engage these people. </b>So much for community management! Fortunately, there was a least one tenacious user:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrwtcp2v8_T4lDDxkfJbqt3qYFn71vNAzYsnq9oFEc4qEgVzUG_Hqhl3jnjbAAiXPcy_7T_KGbMJfcr3296tqHDEFa7hJsS7KlNvBFJn6fTPydy_L-XC1hO08qy1wZAXDS7Jt/s1600/figured+it+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigrwtcp2v8_T4lDDxkfJbqt3qYFn71vNAzYsnq9oFEc4qEgVzUG_Hqhl3jnjbAAiXPcy_7T_KGbMJfcr3296tqHDEFa7hJsS7KlNvBFJn6fTPydy_L-XC1hO08qy1wZAXDS7Jt/s1600/figured+it+out.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>While the chat slightly improved the last six minutes or so... it never really got going to begin with. Ms. Andrews' answers were polite, positive, light and witty but they had </b><b>little-to-nothing to do with "National Princess Day” -- so I still didn't know what it was all about. I certainly wasn't alone, as this user graphically points out:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ehr0dc3mUE3vZ5ZfduNhOo5gHkw5lbZiwkQEr4I80IqfSjZK5pVszMUMBPBlNAai6aDSU5s1Olt8hgKRTndiVFd-kotuX_fhAB8Hv5wyiQkbCkQBSnW6tQL2_Jv2RUYZf2Aj/s1600/WT_IsNPW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Ehr0dc3mUE3vZ5ZfduNhOo5gHkw5lbZiwkQEr4I80IqfSjZK5pVszMUMBPBlNAai6aDSU5s1Olt8hgKRTndiVFd-kotuX_fhAB8Hv5wyiQkbCkQBSnW6tQL2_Jv2RUYZf2Aj/s1600/WT_IsNPW.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Outside of finding out that her favorite song in Mary Poppins was “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (spelling), I just wasn't sure what we were accomplishing here. Jumping back into my other open tab, I refreshed the link to Julie’s website and the site opened for me. <b>FINALLY - 30 minutes into a 45 minute chat, I began to connect some dots.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUCcNdAymx4QvN4SjeqrzSVGpbgVRR6EfGaG5aoqWOqE5DGCZ4cg-R_3sPplGOz7QwZMdGf9xSIPckyum6uRVcLY35k-uWIw_3MqWwtItrEF7486-huslHRz8ttryNQA85Ii5/s1600/JulieAndrewsSite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUCcNdAymx4QvN4SjeqrzSVGpbgVRR6EfGaG5aoqWOqE5DGCZ4cg-R_3sPplGOz7QwZMdGf9xSIPckyum6uRVcLY35k-uWIw_3MqWwtItrEF7486-huslHRz8ttryNQA85Ii5/s320/JulieAndrewsSite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
While I found her site a bit difficult to navigate, <b>getting into it made Target’s promotion with Julia make a lot more sense to me. That's when the true failure of this promotional effort became crystal clear. </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://julieandrewscollection.com/national-princess-week-2012/" target="_blank">Julie Andrews actually started National Princess Day in collaboration with Disney and Target. </a> </li>
<li>She has also co-authored a series of books with her daughter, Emma, and has published her own songs and poetry for children, which are <a href="http://julieandrewscollection.com/words/" target="_blank">highlighted on the site, along with other recommended books and authors</a>. (The writing did come up during the chat but wasn't eminently clear what books they wrote, what the focus of them were, etc. One line is even a series of princess books.) </li>
<li><a href="http://www.target.com/p/Julie-Andrews-Collection-of-Poems-Songs-and-Lullabies-Unabridged-Compact-Disc/-/A-11658735" target="_blank">Julie and Emma's books, poetry, songs and lullabies are also for sale in Target Stores</a> - and they have Apps, too. This was not promoted AT ALL during the chat -- I had to do a shopping search on Target to figure this out. They certainly didn't need to make this a sales chat but highlighting this once would have been quite logical and fitting, considering the context.</li>
<li><a href="http://julieandrewscollection.com/30-ways-to-celebrate-national-princess-week/" target="_blank">The website has all kinds of fun tips and ways to celebrate National Princess Week</a>, creating memories with your kids and teaching important moral lessons. So many cute ideas... also not mentioned in the chat. </li>
<li>Ms. Andrews and her daughter recently released their new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Very-Fairy-Princess-Flower/dp/0316185612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335899027&sr=8-1" target="_blank">"The Very Fairy Princess 3: Here comes the Flower Girl"</a> which was mentioned by a user during the chat event -- but to which no links for browsing or purchasing were shared. </li>
<li>Julie and Emma also have a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JulieAndrewsCollection" target="_blank">Facebook Fan Page</a>, which wasn't promoted or showcased during the event. Unfortunately, neither the new book OR the Facebook page were promoted during the event. And the Facebook page itself failed to promote the chat event with Target.</li>
</ul>
<b>Perhaps worst of all, the positive mission of Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma, was completely LOST in the confusion… The goals behind the Princess movement have to do with the creation of self-esteem and self-respect within young girls. <a href="http://julieandrewscollection.com/wisdom/wisdom-for-parents/" target="_blank">Her site also promotes reading to kids and encouraging kids to read</a>. These seem like such an important messages - yet they did not come out during the chat. No one stepped in to help critics like the ones below understand these simple facts. It was all terribly unfortunate, indeed.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGKdYl5PaUiQbxeJVETLlcYFIDodDSfPnKlZrTidqdIk3tKNbUv6O4LZm9yNi9uP67gzyM7PZ-vwlVVWA8eEsCF_i7lb57DJFDvEmzSG1a_IfN-2RWTzEMKBTN-gJUS2KNHof/s1600/hatecampaign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguGKdYl5PaUiQbxeJVETLlcYFIDodDSfPnKlZrTidqdIk3tKNbUv6O4LZm9yNi9uP67gzyM7PZ-vwlVVWA8eEsCF_i7lb57DJFDvEmzSG1a_IfN-2RWTzEMKBTN-gJUS2KNHof/s1600/hatecampaign.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZVnR8dv8FKBebaXuDN9eihZ253MGqdtE1hZNfSjrJIB7W6-1hVFcJXmUgjEm-XsyBsGkmbaEccMXqJ-N8aQXcbLu2P2QXlviWGU4cvUbKBjnMu8ef_Xo48G02yOUEUwYUlVG/s1600/whyprincess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZVnR8dv8FKBebaXuDN9eihZ253MGqdtE1hZNfSjrJIB7W6-1hVFcJXmUgjEm-XsyBsGkmbaEccMXqJ-N8aQXcbLu2P2QXlviWGU4cvUbKBjnMu8ef_Xo48G02yOUEUwYUlVG/s1600/whyprincess.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
In the 50 minutes that transpired, there were less than 1.5 comments per MINUTE. There were gaps of 2-3 minutes between posts, and outside of Julie and Target’s comments, there were only 36 unique active participants (active chatters who posted questions). I have no idea how many inactive participants, or “lurkers” there were because this view was blocked by the chat application administrator. However, in parallel to the chat, there seemed to be hundreds posting on the Facebook wall and comments fields – all quite lost and unattended by Target. <br />
<br />
This isn’t Julie Andrew's fault, at all. In fact, I’d say she was the spoonful of sugar that made it tolerable for me to hang in there for more than 2 minutes. I find her practically perfect in every way - to the point that I'm a bit intimidated to issue any criticism. less it be misconstrued by Ms. Andrews or her daughter. I don't mean to be ungracious, here.<b></b><br />
<br />
<b>Unfortunately for Ms. Andrews, due to Target's mishandling of this situation, they were unsuccessful in effectively promoting National Princess Week, her mission to help build self-esteem in young girls and to get children to read, or to make participants aware of products and materials that could make the celebration even better. Further, the audience was unable to make those new, fresh, positive associations to Ms. Andrews, Target or Disney that should have been <i>easy</i> to make! A missed opportunity, really.</b> <br />
<br />
I'm not saying this from a high horse... in this confusing era of apps and social tools -- we're all learning at some extent -- especially as these channels converge and complicate communication. However, I expect that a giant like Target would have done the basics much better. I expected they would know better, and I hope they learn from the event instead of shuffling it under a <a href="http://www.target.com/p/Princess-Bath-Rug-20x30/-/A-14026429" target="_blank">reasonably priced Princess rug</a>. <br />
<br />
The fact that I stayed on to write a post about this on a perfectly great beach day is a testament to the weak nature of this promotion. It was such a good case study in "what not to do" for online event management, I may even write a follow-up post that highlights what can be done to make your online event a smashing success - online and offline. But not on a day off...or when I have clients to serve! ;-) Back to the real work.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-59673101579760254752012-03-07T12:14:00.000-06:002012-03-11T09:27:17.349-05:00More on the Digital Garden<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/FA/C59A789019A9215BE17C42CF6EA14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/FA/C59A789019A9215BE17C42CF6EA14.jpg" width="320" /></a><b> </b></div><b>As I prep for SXSW, here's a virtual "Ode to Spring." Sitting here anticipating springtime flowers in the midst of winter dormancy.... I was inspired to build on my last post, <a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-pairing-pruning-and-managing-digital.html" target="new">Paring, Planting, Pruning -- Managing Digital Growth</a>. Check it out if you want to see what inspired me, or for a picture of my dog, whichever interests you most. Some more thoughts on Managing Digital Growth:</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. Your Digital Presence is like a Garden. </b>Left to itself over time, site messages, pages, conversations and "user paths" (set of pages/interactions which drive people to a desired end) can become overgrown, unwieldy and compromised. This isn't just a result of the natural growth and "the elements" at work (people posting content and making modifications) over time. The overgrowth and confusion, which produces areas that fail to thrive can also be a result of pestilence (ignorant people doing stupid things) or even neglect. Like our green gardens, digital gardens require regular care, watering, daily attention and oversight.<br />
<br />
<b>2. This Makes You a Digital Gardener. </b> Green content thumb or not, if you build or maintain a digital presence for yourself or your company, your job is to lay out paths, construct order, present your own array of natural offerings for all to see, cultivate content and community in a manner that best engages visitors and attractively displays your unique beauty. Your job is to take people on a journey that is a sensory delight, which leaves them with a unique sense of who you are, what you stand for and what you have to offer. <i>All of us could use some work in this area</i>, and to improve, we must embrace our role, and our own competencies and put them to work to our advantage. This also means that where we are deficient (e.g. design, development), we need to find skilled support to help us. (Singing to my own choir right now)</div><div> </div><div><b>3. Plan with Clear Intent.</b> Designing with intent means we always start with an understanding and keen knowledge of people you wish to reach, as well as where they congregate. Understand what they need and value and want to accomplish - and then envision how you will serve them by defining the journey you will take them on. How will they understand and experience your brand, products and services or other offerings? How will you captivate them with relevant, useful and usable experiences that are lively, unique, memorable and pleasing? These are the questions of an Experience Architect.<br />
<br />
For example, planning a garden with a cascading vista is a different task than planning a delightful tea garden in a courtyard or a modern outdoor dining experience. Whatever you are building, it's important to make sure that what you create meshes well with the landscape, looks as good from afar as it does close-up, is well engineered for the types of users who may visit (e.g. needs, ethnography, awareness, different-abilities), <i>and</i> what they want to accomplish. It should also align to your brand in a way that is memorable, and personable. So -- define the kind of personality you want your garden to have, and to make sure you build in mechanisms to accommodate the varied needs (e.g. rest, refreshment, interaction, help) of the people you are serving.</div><div><br />
<b>4. Create Access and Flow. </b> In a day and age where most people are using more than three digital "outposts" to manage life, work and communication, and multiple devices, it's important that we accommodate user flow across different digital (and offfline) properties, devices and platforms. Creating connectivity or <i>flow between</i> the experiences offered across properties, apps, devices and channels requires familiarity - but not sameness. We must make easy for people to find us, and maintain communications across a variety of systems or devices - wherever they are and whatever they're using to find your brand. Further, from the entry points to the remote corners of the garden, it's essential to make sure all areas of your Digital Garden (mobile site, website, social site, application, etc.) are not only well tended and highly functional, they must be updated <i>enough</i> to properly <i>serve the needs of the people who visit</i>. That means they must always be able to find what they need, especially an outlet for satisfaction - such as a real person who can offer assistance as appropriate.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Diversity Creates a Vibrant Ecosystem. </b>The best gardens have have plant and terrain diversity. That balance of life not only creates a more healthy ecosystem, it attracts more interesting wildlife -- creating a more vibrant and stimulating environment for visitors. The zones and pathways in your own Digital Garden should carry the same diversity. Regurgitating the same press release or post in every channel is tantamount to planting the same bush in every bed, and will not yield a compelling experience. Instead, staggering and varying your offerings (content and functionality) to stimulate the audience found in each "zone" (e.g. Linked In vs. Facebook vs. Mobile) will yield a much more compelling result. Tailor your design, functionality, messaging and content to build your own thriving digital ecosystem.<br />
<br />
<b>6. </b><b>Prune, Water & Fertilize for Success. </b>Be methodical about pruning away clutter and trim down content to expose messages that are crisp and clear and compelling. Reduce, reuse and recycle ... updating old content, cleaning out "dead" material and sweeping for on and offsite comments and mentions that may benefit from your attention. Sprinkle your digital presence with fresh with new messages and content regularly. Reduce information clutter. Clear out visual clutter and make sure your properties "Draw the eye" and the user down key paths effectively. Keep your presence fresh, relevant, accurate and compelling. Finally, encourage growth and interaction by having friendly, knowledgeable people respond to visitors in a way that best demonstrates your values.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>7. Be Prepared for the Dirty Work! </b> Make sure you are prepared for sore knees and heavy lifting, as the ugly tasks (Digging, fertilization, hauling dirt and sticks, garbage duty, paving, building or breaking down fences, fixing stuff that breaks, plumbing for irrigation) require hard work. In truth - it's rarely a one-person job, even if you are super talented. Share the load to ensure the proper care and management of your garden. Ensure that <i>all hired resources work together</i> to ensure all the branding messaging, content, promotions, campaigns your garden are cohesive, fresh and lovely in season. Work hard to cultivate <i>great content and present it in formats that grab attention and inspire action</i>. Apply oversight to carefully <i>coordinate multiple development projects</i> at once (e.g. Mobile site / web site / apps) to make sure they compliment each other and function properly. Make sure that site refreshes are done with a strong eye toward maintaining a <i>cohesive master information architecture</i>, and <i>conduct user testing</i> to validate and improve task flows and customer service, in an iterative manner.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>8. Manage Overgrowth and Other Pitfalls.</b> The Digital Gardener must fight overgrowth and keep the path exceptionally clear for the visitor -- removing stumbling blocks (e.g. technical, usability), creating new paths in response to user needs (new functionality, navigational paths), eradicating roadblocks and dead-ends (customer service flow, etc.). If we ourselves haven't visited the paths enough (shopping, buying, finding information) we may find that we have blind spots about the journeys we have created or the impressions they leave with people. Taking walk around in the shoes of the people you serve is the best way to identify problem areas and improve things. You can do this yourself by conducting your own user testing or audience research. You can also hire an objective third party (experience engineer -- information architect -- usability tester -- ethnographic researcher) to conduct analysis on your digital presence (or individual properties) to provide some healthy insight that will help you take things to the next level and drive better outcomes. This can be a great way to adopt fresh perspective and identify opportunities for improvement.<br />
<br />
<b>9. Get the Gloves On! </b>Simply put, it's very hard to lose by diligently managing and cultivating your digital presence. I know mine needs attention this year... and I also know I'm not alone. The work can be exhausting because the job is never done - but when spring comes and everything blossoms around me, I'm reminded that it's usually worth it. In parting, remember that it really doesn't take a revolutionary action -- like a complete site redesign to drive significant gains in your digital presence right now. <a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2006/02/customer-experience-how-to-bite-off.html">Often, highly focused tweaks and edits will do the trick.</a> For example, right now I'm helping a client refresh some highly trafficked web landing pages to optimize user experience and way finding. We're also carving out a few new paths for users based on feedback we're getting on the site. What we are "planting" now should produce a nice yield in the spring and drive some delightful gains for our users. All you need is a little user empathy, determination and vision to improve things today. So, put on those gloves, walk a mile in your customer's shoes and examine the paths you've created! The opportunities you find for improvement may find may surprise you! </div><div><br />
<b>10. Imperfection is It's Own Kind of Beauty.</b> Rather than shooting for perfection (it's elusive), shoot for<b> </b>creating<b> </b><i>rewarding, valuable experiences instead!</i><i> </i> Every garden has seasons of growth and death. In like manner, your Digital Garden will naturally be more prolific in some business seasons than others. Creativity is messy and involved. You'll deal with branches, leaves, weeds and clutter... plants that go dormant and even ones that die. In the end, you won't always "plant a winner." and you won't always write something that people respond to positively. Further -- life happens. You won't always have time to update things as much as you may like (yes! that's me!).<br />
<br />
Tolerate and acknowledge the imperfections. Recognize your limitations. Pare back as necessary (me again). Focus on what's important. Celebrate your successes and correct mistakes or shortcomings as you can. Don't seek a magic bullet - just get better with your aim. And finally.... please remember... when the chore of managing your digital garden outweighs the yield of it... rethink your approach entirely. In the end, a garden's purpose is to serve the needs of the owner as much as it does the welcomed guests.<br />
<br />
<b>Happy pruning! </b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/FA/C59A789019A9215BE17C42CF6EA14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-37584996052938576972012-01-10T13:00:00.004-06:002012-01-10T13:50:16.756-06:00Paring, Pruning, Planting - Managing Digital Growth<div><b>We planted a Weeping Pussy Willow in the rock bed adjacent to our deck a few years ago. </b> At the time it was just slightly taller than waist high... with green leafy branches that gracefully floated down to the ground. Here's the cute little tree when we planted it (just to right rear of dog):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtx3nQfiD0WI06Ezz7nVML2e0Is4Asdhpn_zjLfCB79OJ-0B4IWT6arsQpfuExFSG6eoitXy-beu_Jb2yMxbOeSxa9JBZ_BdeuODqdiI9NjyJ5qRDS3EqsqTb8sZjGQ1ciyldF/s1600/Maggie+on+Patio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtx3nQfiD0WI06Ezz7nVML2e0Is4Asdhpn_zjLfCB79OJ-0B4IWT6arsQpfuExFSG6eoitXy-beu_Jb2yMxbOeSxa9JBZ_BdeuODqdiI9NjyJ5qRDS3EqsqTb8sZjGQ1ciyldF/s320/Maggie+on+Patio.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>A few years later, this tree stood over six feet tall, a thriving monument to our landscaping efforts, and a monumental maintenance pain: </b> Prolific in its growth and planted a bit too closely to the deck railing ... it stood unruly most of the time. Here it is a photo taken a few weeks after a serious trimming.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m3VyM_sC5gA/TwJi9unpL6I/AAAAAAAABZw/REvGyO1aYn0/s1600/cousin+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m3VyM_sC5gA/TwJi9unpL6I/AAAAAAAABZw/REvGyO1aYn0/s320/cousin+it.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>We had aptly named our tree "Cousin It" (after the classic Addams Family character) because when it grew out, it looked like the picture below -- only green and leafy -- and missing a hat:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2411262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2411262.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><b>To be attractive, Cousin It needed to be well groomed - at least monthly and with great care. </b> If I trimmed too much, it seemed to grow faster. If I didn't trim it enough, it would begin to take over the railing, deck and everything else nearby, as new chutes sprang up and the long, extending branches grew down into the ground and took root! Because the tree grew just off the deck adjacent to my home office, I spent a lot of time taming this beast on my breaks.<br />
<br />
<b>One day, I emerged from my office bleary eyed and exasperated. I had been conducting a user experience evaluation for a major brand, and desperately needed to clear my head in the fresh air. </b> I had found some unbelievable problems with my client's digital media presence that were not easy to explain prioritize or correct; the outcomes of poor information design, technology issues and some bad thinking. I stood there, contemplatively... as Cousin It stared back at me: gangly, unruly and defiant.<br />
<br />
Perhaps as an outlet for my frustration, I grabbed my clippers and engaged in a pruning fit. <b>As I furiously clipped and trimmed, I ruminated on the somewhat overwhelming and prolific challenges my client faced. Some seemed unfathomable...and yet they were also way too familiar to me. </b><br />
<br />
<b>The fact was, </b><b>in different iterations, I found the same challenges on many of the other, highly reputable. large client websites and digital outposts I surveyed:</b></div><div><b></b><br />
<ul><li>Bad logic in the decision tree which created hurdles and challenges for users</li>
<li>Navigational methods that conflicted with each other, resulting in serious usability issues</li>
<li>Lack of visual cues to adequately support way finding</li>
<li>Multiple properties repeating the same static message</li>
<li>Robotic, content full of "enterprise speak" - no sense of real humans working there</li>
<li>Poorly written or unclear content, instruction or communication</li>
<li>Conflicting messages and offers</li>
<li>Non-functioning or absent links</li>
<li>Pages that did not function or load properly</li>
<li>Sites that failed to load or function properly on mobile channels</li>
<li>Registration, opt-in and transactional forms that didn't function properly</li>
<li>Access issues and complications related to user permissions (log in, sign-up, etc.)</li>
<li>Lack of SEO and page optimization</li>
<li>SEO counsel that had actually worked to undermine usability</li>
<li>Lack of social integration (like, plus, share) across digital properties </li>
<li>Lack of ability to drive users effectively down key paths to drive business outcomes</li>
</ul><br />
<b>I realized the problems my client faced were a lot like the branches and chutes I was hacking away at: </b>They were natural outcomes of rapid growth, poor communication, poor planning and execution and even some outright negligence. However, the truth was, this client could no longer see clearly or objectively. They knew there were problems but they didn't know where to start to correct things. Using Cousin It as an example, they couldn't see the tree for the branches! <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>I suddenly realized the honor of my position. </b>They'd asked me to focus a trained eye to overcome what had become their own blind spots. They knew I could help them, and I would. Reaching this good place in my head... I ended my clipping frenzy and threw out the pile of offending branches. Then, with renewed energy and a true sense of purpose, I went back to work.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>It took time, a lot of discussion and problem solving, but we began to fix things gradually....starting with the things that mattered most.</b> Sometimes, we had to compromise and fix things slower than I would have liked. As we went along, we also needed to periodically take a break and assess the work from a distance to make sure things were taking the right shape for the business and the people they served.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Today, this client is making great progress along with many others.</b> It has been my pleasure to see the fruits of our labor, which seemed so far off in the season of paring, pruning and planting.<br />
<br />
<b>Sometimes, all we need is some outside perspective (myself included) and a carefully trained, caring eye to help us overcome the hurdles in front of us. It's true for gardeners, information architects, experience designers ... and it's true in life, too.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-16970281228807485722011-12-30T18:30:00.003-06:002011-12-30T18:49:41.182-06:00Fresh Post & a Fresh Start for 2012The last few months have been super eventful and way cool and may partially explain the lack of posts of late. <b>I relocated with my family to sunny Santa Cruz, California and resumed my consulting practice here</b>. I've always been a beachy person and we love it, to say the least. Fall is a beautiful time here. We had unseasonably warm weather, bringing the sardenes -- and the whales in within 1/5 of a mile out! I have watched them breach and flip and tail slap -- along with dolphins, seals, otters and sea birds to my heart's content.<br />
<br />
I spent Christmas day on the beach with my family - built a bonfire, set free a floating lantern....and chuckled with glee over not having to blow snow this year! Yes, we'll take sand over snow, thanks!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW7LBld7zwKufUyK6Pi7Lva5yk1Owq3z_00Q8e3kNwORHr3sdHTemthOsbkC95Us_6VMEfvZKWPHIUu1GsW5uV_l3dyJadkAHTSQ3VQHptII-ItqFd_wT9Giykw6QE403OnnI/s1600/DSCN0109.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW7LBld7zwKufUyK6Pi7Lva5yk1Owq3z_00Q8e3kNwORHr3sdHTemthOsbkC95Us_6VMEfvZKWPHIUu1GsW5uV_l3dyJadkAHTSQ3VQHptII-ItqFd_wT9Giykw6QE403OnnI/s320/DSCN0109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>We have always loved this area -- and it's not just because of the beauty or weather - the business atmosphere, culture and people are such a draw! </b> Living in the bay area, I am now closer to many of the smart people I have worked alongside for years. This includes my friends at <b><a href="http://www.gotomedia.com/">gotomedia</a>,</b> an outstanding digital experience company founded by my good friend, Kelly Goto. Kelly and I have worked together in a variety of capacities for over 15 year. Now, we get to raise our kids together. #Awesome.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbQGG9T6Ds-7IbSZa2V67uFwPB_qYDOtaZad1wedwmUIkF4cXQsTfnfdiiXKEOvQfN1Q0IQC2G5KSgSQbbFkbvsvHjj2IhRGiwZDEoPCaFQ3jobf5WkRlUoqZsJ0_Eb2_tysW/s1600/_A161695.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbQGG9T6Ds-7IbSZa2V67uFwPB_qYDOtaZad1wedwmUIkF4cXQsTfnfdiiXKEOvQfN1Q0IQC2G5KSgSQbbFkbvsvHjj2IhRGiwZDEoPCaFQ3jobf5WkRlUoqZsJ0_Eb2_tysW/s320/_A161695.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Beyond packing/unpacking and selling/renting houses and doing my normal strategy/design work for clients over the past months, Kelly invited me to facilitate a design thinking workshop she hosted for the <a href="http://www.thetofuproject.com/"><b>Tofu Project</b></a> in November (photo below). It was awesome... and the subject of a later post! I also keyed up three new projects in addition to lining up some very cool SXSW 2012 activities for the spring, which I'll be sure to share about later.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB08xPJFA7NFYpUlf0pLuUbxYDEBGXJDZ3H1YuDzxnD5t5zbK0TxC-XsLKcWwXVxhgca220ytx3wp-XV4rTvTPMj7k-urakpF0duBYBHo7iOlStvuJGbsGhmvoHchTk_TYVmLK/s1600/TOFU.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB08xPJFA7NFYpUlf0pLuUbxYDEBGXJDZ3H1YuDzxnD5t5zbK0TxC-XsLKcWwXVxhgca220ytx3wp-XV4rTvTPMj7k-urakpF0duBYBHo7iOlStvuJGbsGhmvoHchTk_TYVmLK/s320/TOFU.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>In my spare time, I have been working on a personal venture and trying to support my husband in a new venture of his own. I was also featured a few times in a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Customer-Experience-Edge-Technology-Techniques/dp/007178697X">new book on Customer Experience management</a>! In those spare moments, I bone up on social neurology and neuromarketing with a keen interest on their implications to customer experience design (embracing my inner geek). I'm also trying hard to attain a greater level of focus as I attempt to balance everything on my plate. <br />
<br />
<b>Ben Franklin once wrote "Never confusion motion with progress." Words to live by!</b><br />
<br />
In 2011, it was refreshing to attract new business in addition to maintaining relationships my own, amazing clients. I realized this year that not only have <b>100% of these clients have come through word of mouth, the majority have been clients for over 3 years</b>. <b> This also makes many of them friends. This feels like success to me. </b><br />
<br />
<b>I'm very thankful for <a href="http://www.ieee.org/">The IEEE</a> and <a href="http://standards.ieee.org/">IEEE Standards Association</a>, <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/">Marketing Profs</a>, </b><b><a href="http://www,rightnow.com/">RightNow Technologies</a>, </b><b><a href="http://www.gotomedia.com/">gotomedia</a> and others I cannot mention. I'm proud of the work we've done together: </b><br />
<ul><li>Conducting outstanding analysis and developing informed, people-centric, strategic direction</li>
<li>Driving meaningful shifts and change (operational, cultural, technological) </li>
<li>Creating connections that drive networking, growth and success</li>
<li>Joining together to help people in need </li>
<li>Delivering people friendly experiences that secure bottom line results<br />
</li>
</ul>It's also been a pleasure to see so many friends and/or consorts achieve so many amazing personal and professional accomplishments this year... people like <a href="http://www.pagelever.com/">Jeff Widman</a>, <a href="http://www.happytapper.com/">Carla White</a>, <a href="http://www.killerwebinars.com/">Shelley Ryan</a>, <a href="http://www.blueargo.com/">Jason Hungerford</a> <a href="http://www.conversationagent.com/">Valeria Maltoni</a>, <a href="http://www.bethharte.com/">Beth Harte</a>, <a href="http://www.annhandley.com/">Ann Handley</a>, <a href="http://www.soloprpro.com/">Kellye Crane</a>, <a href="http://www.ekaterinawalter.com/">Ekaterina Walter</a>, <a href="http://www.customersrock.com/">Becky Carroll</a>, <a href="http://www.jasonfalls.com/">Jason Falls</a> and <a href="http://www.causevox.com/">Rob Wu</a> (an honor to work with you on <a href="http://www.sxsw4japan.org/">SXSW4Japan</a>), <a href="http://www.mackcollier.com/">Mack Collier</a>, <a href="http://12commanonymous.typepad.com/my_weblog/who-is-lauren-vargas-profile-portfolio.html">Lauren Vargas,</a> <a href="http://www,cksays.com/">Christina Kerley</a> and many others. Further -- a hat tips and props to all the Daisies and MSVP's -- you know who you are. ;-)<br />
<br />
I also met so many new folks his year - several highlights include <a href="http://www.kenlingad.com/">Ken Lingad</a> (smart, beautiful soul!) <a href="http://www.duarte.com/">Nancy Duarte</a> (positively inspiring), <a href="http://www.sunnibrown.com/">Sunni Brown</a> (talented super coolness), <a href="http://www.sxsw.com/">Hugh Forrest</a> (standup guy), <a href="http://estebancontreras.com/">Esteban Contreras</a> (bright, talented, humble & faithful) <a href="http://www.drnatalienews.com/">Natalie Petouhoff</a> (determined, strong, brilliant, unflappable) and <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/christopherbarger/">Christopher Barger</a> (Intelligent, humble, approachable, honest, asset) and <a href="http://www.dekaresearch.com/">Dean Kamen</a> (luminary, genius, innovative, unpretentious, hero).<br />
<br />
<b>In short, I count my blessings to be surrounded by some of the most brilliant, talented, plain speaking, innovative, cool and non-pretentious people in the world. </b> <b>Thanks for your support, readership, tweets, likes, hugs, props, butt-kicks, brain hockey, silliness, jokes, intense conversations, sarcasm, meaningful chats, pokes and comments. </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What's next? Well, all I can say right now is this: In 2012, I intend to better #OCCUPY my faith, family, friends and profession. </b> Further, in defiance of all a admonishments that tell me what I must do for the attention of the search engines, "klout" and/or to attain the adulation of the social web, my implicit objective for this year is to<b> say more by doing more great, meaningful and honest things. </b>Hopefully, I won't disappoint anyone and manage to focus on what really matters!<br />
<br />
<b>Wishing all of you a truly successful 2012. May you break through the forces of inertia with great determination as you move closer to your potential and purpose! </b><br />
<br />
<b>- Leigh</b><br />
<br />
<i>Top photo - Christmas on Seabright Beach, Christmas Day 2011.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-39825561583903094052011-07-05T18:24:00.002-05:002011-07-05T22:56:45.118-05:00CX Word of Mouth. Words to the Wise.As I've stated repeatedly, <b><a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2011/05/join-us-on-integrated-marketing-chat.html">we live in an era of business shift</a>.</b> Not only do companies have the power to<i> know us</i> better than ever before -- "We the people" have the power to<i> make ourselves heard</i> in an unprecedented manner. We can do this when we are wronged, and bring a company to its knees like <a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2010/11/influence-schminfluence-people-matter.html">Dave Carroll did with United Breaks Guitars</a>. We can also make ourselves heard when we're happy, as my buddy, <b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/shelleyryan">Shelley Ryan</a></b> did this week to celebrate the Customer Service Wizardry of <b><a href="http://www.chicos.com/store/home.jsp">Chicos</a></b>. I've embedded her entertaining story below.<br />
<br />
Now, it's entirely possible that both Dave's and Shelley's stories are, in reality, rather un-unique in their facts --- if compared to the ocean full of good and bad customer experience stories out there. After all, other people have had guitars broken, and others have faced great customer service. However, Dave and Shelley have something in common in the way they <i>handled</i> their situations: They coupled their <b>unique skills </b>with <b>creativity</b> and the<b> low-tech tools at their disposal</b> to tell compelling stories that resonated with people. This added dimension, reality, meaning and emotion to what otherwise may have been considered every-day customer experience testimonials. They created something compelling that was instantly sharable, likeable, spreadable....and they began to spread like wildfire. <br />
<br />
<b>This illustrates that it's not always what you tell -- but </b><b>how you tell it, and </b><b>who you share it with that matters most! </b>This creative storytelling explains how Shelley and Dave drove a wave of interest, engagement from other people -- and why those people <b>shared</b> those stories, <b>magnifying</b> them and making them more grand with every like, tweet, share, view, comment. In Dave's case, that magnification turned his story into a business legend! In Shelley's case, well, hopefully it will yield a great pat on the back to the dedicated, customer-focused employees at <b><a href="http://www.chicos.com/store/home.jsp">Chico's</a></b>. Kudos to them!<br />
<br />
We can all (people and brands) take a page out of this book, and learn from Dave, Shelley and people like them. We already know we'll be seeing this more and more. <b> The question is, will we ourselves shoot for legendary in our story telling? Will we apply what we've learned here to differentiate <i>our stories </i>from the sea of sameness? </b> Just a thought -- or maybe a challenge -- for your day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<object data="http://content.screencast.com/users/ShelleyRyan/folders/Default/media/46f29881-c6b1-4f6d-a8b4-a38435415a13/hoorayfinal_controller.swf" height="658" id="scPlayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/ShelleyRyan/folders/Default/media/46f29881-c6b1-4f6d-a8b4-a38435415a13/hoorayfinal_controller.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="thumb=http://content.screencast.com/users/ShelleyRyan/folders/Default/media/46f29881-c6b1-4f6d-a8b4-a38435415a13/slide035.jpg&containerwidth=450&containerheight=658&showstartscreen=true&showendscreen=true&loop=false&autostart=false&color=1A1A1A,1A1A1A&thumb=slide035.jpg&thumbscale=45&content=http://content.screencast.com/users/ShelleyRyan/folders/Default/media/46f29881-c6b1-4f6d-a8b4-a38435415a13/hoorayFinal.mp4&blurover=false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="scale" value="showall" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="base" value="http://content.screencast.com/users/ShelleyRyan/folders/Default/media/46f29881-c6b1-4f6d-a8b4-a38435415a13/" /><iframe type="text/html" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="overflow:hidden;" src="http://www.screencast.com/users/ShelleyRyan/folders/Default/media/46f29881-c6b1-4f6d-a8b4-a38435415a13/embed" height="658" width="450" ></iframe></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-90773582791268249442011-06-23T13:36:00.011-05:002011-06-23T18:18:20.337-05:00Forrester's CX Forum - CCO's and Things that Make You Go "HMM"<a href="http://www.forrester.com/events/eventdetail/0,9179,2526,00.html">Forrester Research's recent Customer Experience Forum</a> in NYC just ended.. I wasn't able to attend due to a recent deluge of travel and client obligations, so I was keenly interested in hearing the outputs of the forum, so I've been reviewing some notes and key takeaways from the Twitter hashtag #cxp11.<br />
<br />
You might find the notes from Harley Manning's session on "The Rise Of The Chief Customer Officer" somewhat interesting. Harley is the Vice President and Research Director at Forrester. Here are the raw notes from the Forrester website:<br />
<blockquote><ul><li><b>On average, chief customer officers (CCOs) have been<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> in their jobs for two years or less</span> time. </b></li>
<li><b><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Very few have backgrounds in customer experience</span>. Instead, they have backgrounds as general managers, marketers, and sales leaders. </b></li>
<li><b>CCOs are<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> heavily concentrated in the business services, IT, and financial services industries</span>, although you can find them in many other industries, as well. </b></li>
<li><b>The majority of them sit on the executive management team at their firms, and they are highly <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">likely to report to the chief executive officer (CEO) or the head of a line of business</span>.</b></li>
<li><b>They <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">spend their time evangelizing customer experience, creating a shared understanding of customers, defining customer metrics, breaking down organizational barriers, building a customer-centric culture, and demonstrating a long term financial impact</span>.</b></li>
</ul></blockquote><b>My first reaction? HM! </b>I can't help but wonder how someone with no background in CX can tangibly, meaningfully and action-ably evangelize CX beyond the use of hype and buzzwords..... much less build a CX focused culture inside an organization. <br />
<br />
<b>My next reaction? Questioning. </b>Why didn't this presentation cover the hiring criteria the companies had for these positions? Boy, that would have been insightful! I'd like to know how these companies define the criteria that qualify a candidate as a potentially strong CCO -- quantitatively and qualitatively! <br />
<br />
<b>My next reaction? Perplexed.</b> Why aren't companies aren't appointing more CCO's who have a background managing the <i>SERVICE END </i>of customer management. We can argue that sales is a front-line arena -- but there's no mention of CCO's coming out of SERVICE-CENTERED arms of business. Wouldn't that be a natural approach, if service is truly critical to creating great experience.<br />
<br />
<b>My final thought? Challenging.</b> Why we aren't appointing CCO's to positions who have an understanding of Customer Experience management --- or in this technical age, at least experience with Information and Interaction Design or even Human Factors? Are they that hard to find? Is this a failure in leadership's understanding of the critical nature of such skills? Is it an inability to FIND people with these skills PLUS a mature understanding of business and industry?<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Filing this under "Things that make you go 'hmmm'." </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b><a href="http://community.forrester.com/docs/DOC-4761">You can find Forrester's Key Takeaways here.</a></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-38178890822801797352011-06-17T13:11:00.002-05:002011-06-17T13:53:39.354-05:00Marketing Profs B2B Forum - Follow Up & Slides!I'm home from the<a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/events/business-to-business-forum-2011/conference"> Marketing Profs B2B Forum in Boston</a>. I have to say, I love the <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/">Marketing Profs </a>conferences. After speaking, writing and teaching for them since 2006, the team feels a bit like virtual family to me.They keep it real, bring in fresh, smart speakers, focus on providing real value targeted to their audience. The value the broad array of attendees get is real and tangible. They treat their speakers well and keep things relaxed. So, kudos for a job well done, guys.<br />
<br />
I met so many great folks there and was happy spending time with friends <a href="http://www.twitter.com/marketingprofs">Ann Handley</a> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mackcollier">Mack Collier</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cksays">Christina "CK" Kerley</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cbwhittemore">CB Whittemore,</a> and new friends <a href="http://www.twitter.com/irongiantbc">Laurie Kingsman</a> from Ritchie Brothers Auctions, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/wrapsustainably">Kate Putnam </a>from Package Machinery Company, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/brennermicheal">Micheal Brenner</a> from SAP, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/samfiorella">Sam Fiorella</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lttlwys">Brandi McCallum</a> from Sensei Marketing, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/marcomm3">Mika Lofton</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/insightsgal">Katie Clark</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/bobknorpp">Bob Knorpp</a> and many others. I'm so fried right now I can't possibly list everyone. So I will probably edit and add more people to this post later! <br />
<br />
Gotta say, though -- one of the big highlights of the conference for me was meeting <b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/nancyduarte">Nancy Duarte</a>, </b>author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/slide-ology-Science-Creating-Presentations/dp/0596522347/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308332699&sr=8-2">"Slideology</a> and her new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Resonate-Present-Stories-Transform-Audiences/dp/0470632011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308332699&sr=8-1">"Resonate."</a> Nancy is a brilliant communicator, an inspiring author and a darned nice person. I cannot say enough about her but sufficed to say, I'm enough of a fangirl - to stick my feet in my mouth in front of her when trying to be witty. (Fortunately, she's very gracious, too.) I bought her new book -- and I took time to read a bunch of it on the way home. It's smart and inspiring -- and ANYONE that wants to be a better communicator should read it.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-HO9QTtYDYM" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
The Workshop I ran at the B2B Forum was full of smart, motivated people and I was honored they attended. Again, we did a real-time session reviewing the digital media footprints of 2 brands, distilling down some ideas for fostering a better experience within and across those digital and social properties. We spent about 30 minutes on each brand.<br />
<br />
I want to thank Ritchie Brothers Auctions (Global leader in Auctioneering with $3.3 BILLION in revenue) and Package Machinery Company (Machinery Leader for Consumer Packaged Goods Industry) for putting themselves in the hot seat. The feedback from everyone was very positive and I earnestly do hope I provided the brands and the session attendees with some valuable insights. Here are the slides:<br />
<br />
<div id="__ss_8339090" style="width: 425px;"><b style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/LivePath/digital-media-makeover-marketing-profs-b2b-forum-july-2011" title="Digital Media Makeover Marketing Profs B2B Forum July 2011">Digital Media Makeover Marketing Profs B2B Forum July 2011</a></b> <iframe frameborder="0" height="355" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/8339090" width="425"></iframe> <br />
<div style="padding: 5px 0 12px;">View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/LivePath">Leigh Duncan-Durst</a> </div></div>Note: the wireframes that were provided weren't design recommendations but a visual "AFTER" idea to get the brands thinking about what could be -- what treatments might change on a few screens.<br />
<br />
While it was a smaller crowd, I had a 35% rate of request for services from this session. So the ROI of this gig was terrific.<br />
<br />
Got thoughts, insights? Did you attend? Would love your comments!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-11235071330817019252011-06-14T14:13:00.001-05:002011-06-17T12:26:19.487-05:00Digital Makeover at Marketing Profs B2B Forum in BostonI'm currently attending and speaking at the <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/events/business-to-business-forum-2011/conference">Marketing Profs B2B Digital Forum in Boston</a>. It's great to hook up with some old friends and colleagues and meet other friends face-to-face that I haven't had the pleasure of meeting with yet. The session I'm doing is a Digital Media Makeover Session - a 75 minute live workshop looking at the comprehensive web, blog, Facebook, twitter, linked in, Wiki (and more) presences of two very different brands. It should be fun and we have a lot to cover.<a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/events/business-to-business-forum-2011/conference"></a><br />
<br />
So far, I sat in two great sessions. The first, Enterprise Social Media with <a href="http://davidbthomas/">David Thomas </a>and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/mike7barlow">Mike Barlow </a>raised some great issues individuals in B2B enterprise face when trying to embrace, execute and coordinate social media-driven activities. I loved <a href="http://www.ckb2b.com/home.html">Christina Kerley's</a> session on Mobile. CK is a fount of knowledge and a fireball of energy that lights up a room. I'm sitting here next to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/pgillin">Paul Gillin</a> (Doh!) and realized that my session runs concurrently with his and several other great ones! Do you think it'd be terrible to hang up a sign outside the door that says "FREE BEER?" I mean, no pressure or anything.<br />
<br />
For the swarthy, motivated folks that show up, I'll be reviewing the digital media footprints of two brands in real time during my session. The goal is to provide some customer-centric feedback that will help guide them as they take their presence to the next level, from streamlining specific paths to increase conversions and results or improving execution within digital properties like the Web, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The good news is, for those that made the hard choice to see someone else over me -- any conference attendees that miss our session can <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/events/business-to-business-forum-2011/conference">re-stream it on the Marketing Profs site here</a>. ;-)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-89206328286237161202011-06-03T13:07:00.001-05:002011-06-04T17:50:01.721-05:00Blog World Recap: 10 Tips for Awesome, Grassroots, Online & Offline, Social MobilizationIn my last post, I mentioned that we (Me, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/robjwu">Rob Wu</a> of <a href="http://www.causevox.com/">CauseVox</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/samsungesteban">Esteban Contreras</a> of <a href="http://www.samsung.com/">Samsung</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cfnoble">Chris Noble</a> of <a href="http://www.causemediagroup.com/">Cause Media Group</a>) were presenting a case study on SXSW4Japan at<a href="http://www.blogworldexpo.com/"> Blog World Expo</a> last week. We were flattered to be asked to present what we learned in the course of our activities there, and were delighted to see <a href="http://bwecares.causevox.com/">Blog World Expo start its own charitable effort to raise funds for the Red Cross to support Tornado Victims</a> after the tragedy in Joplin and the southern US States.<br />
<br />
At the end of our panel, we provided<b> "10 Tips For Awesome, Grassroots, Online & Offline Social Mobilization"</b> which can apply to any social effort or movement - and especially for cause mobilization. For your convenience, I thought I'd provide those tips here. If you have thoughts, leavea comment! <br />
<br />
<b>1. Move Quickly.</b> Speed is critical as situations build momentum and people look for a way to offer support – especially when it comes to disaster relief. The quicker you offer an immediate outlet where people can help -- the more successful you are likely to be in drawing attention, engagement and participation. Start by developing a reasonable, clear goal (ours was $10k for Japan) and make sure your goal, charity and scope is clear to everyone. Rather than starting from scratch, find turnkey ways to build out a donation site. For example, anyone can use a platform like Rob's <a href="http://www.causevox.com/">CauseVox</a> platform to set up a customized fundraising effort in minutes -- and transition all online donations to a charity of choice. The site even allows people to start fundraising pages under your main page to rally their own circles of influence. Set it up, make the communication on the page crystal clear, and get people talking about it.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Stick to the Cause.</b> Everyone involved should be about the cause and little else. The people willing to lend themselves, or their brands, to promote and further your cause should be your target audience – not people willing to lend their brand to promote their own cause. Learn to quickly distinguish motives. There are some complexities with say, negotiating corporate sponsorships that cannot be avoided - like processing transactions, agreeing on communication points, etc. Beyond this, however, we found that, in general, there seemed to be a connection between the time people wanted to spend “negotiating terms” and the level of self interest they presented to us. Kindly encourage parties with their own goals, motives or selfish-interests to start their own project if you sense there's not a match. <br />
<br />
<b>3. Keep it simple. </b> Ideas that require jumping through hoops, a ton of discussion, complicated production, distribution or crazy acrobatics may waste time and/or money that should go to your cause. For example: We had some ideas for things we wanted to do on our fundraising page that equated to customization that would have taken up too much valuable time, so we scrapped the ideas, settling for “good enough.” We also discussed having t-shirts made. However, when we considered production the complexities of ordering, cost, sizes, distribution and the rest ---> it became a non-starter for our particular cause. Our focus was to raise as much money as we could for Japan. T-shirts were a nice idea, but it would have taken us away from our vision and redirected funds that should go to help people. We decided to invest our time in a manner that drove more momentum for the charity, and that served us very well, in the end. <br />
<br />
<b>4. Empower People.</b> When people came to us to ask what they can do to help, we answered with a question: "What do you do BEST?” We did our best to find a way to focus peoples’ energy in a way that best leveraged their natural talent or skill. On our team, it fell together in a somewhat divine manner. Rob was the technologist with the platform. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/debng"> Deb Ng</a> is a conference organizer for Blog World, and she knew everyone in the Blogger lounge. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/drnatalie">Natalie Pethouhoff</a> was the PR pro, with an impressive array of business and media contacts. <a href="http://www.gapingvoid.com/">Hugh McLeod (of Gaping Void fame)</a> drew us a logo. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jessakka">Jessica Lin</a> had this incredible knack for juggling things like community management and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/denicetex">Denice Crowell</a> is a copy writer and music freak. Me? Well, I am a prolific multi-tasker with a gift of coordination and a few influential friends. We divided and conquered together in a pretty synergistic way and we kept our minds open when others approached us with contribution ideas. As people step into roles – make sure their mandates are clear to everyone – and let them become the go-to-resources for specific things. Having clear roles will help prevent confusion and make sure messages being delivered are clear and consistent. <br />
<br />
<b>5. Partner Creatively.</b> We worked hard to foster the practical and strategic partnerships that would fuel our success. Beyond forming a partnership with the <a href="http://www.redcross.org/">Red Cross</a>, we also teamed up with <a href="http://www.sxsw.com/">SXSW</a> Leadership, and later, the City of Austin through the Mayor's Office. To their credit, they bent over backward to support our cause at every turn, and also supported our extension into the music track at SXSW. We worked with Hurricane Party and other grassroots fundraisers at the conference. From the lounge, Samsung promoted our efforts, hosted an impromptu panel on our efforts, tweeted about our cause and initiated a campaign on our behalf that drove an additional $5,000 to our effort. <a href="http://www.jaffejuice.com/">Joseph Jaffe</a> auctioned off a keynote for $15,000 to <a href="http://http/;//www.lifelock.com">Lifelock </a>for our cause. Natalie not only paid for our printing out of her pocket, she worked magic to secure a number of corporate sponsors who donated about $500 each from the trade show floor, which drove up online donations significantly. Later in the game, the very talented <a href="http://hanson.net/">Hanson</a> brothers were introduced to us. They linked their effort to produce a 12 hour streaming online telethon with SXSW4Japan, and did an amazing job. They even produced a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sxsw4japan/dp/B004UY1TSY">40 track album with proceeds going to SXSW4Japan</a>, which is also available on iTunes. In the end, everyone brought something unique to the table, and together accomplished much more than any of us would have done individually. <br />
<br />
<b>6. Embrace Your Community. </b>We started the fundraiser because we were all, in some way, connected or touched by to the tragedy in Japan. We started it while we were in the company of thousands of friends who were champions of technology, cultural change, social media, business in the cloud, iterative development, crowd sourcing and much more. We had a chance to make those connections more meaningful and engage the community online AND offline. Through interaction and discussion, we fostered tighter connections with the people in our networks, even reaching beyond them to build new, meaningful connections. This was especially true with regard to our interactions with Japanese attendees at SXSW. Their input and appreciation for our efforts increased the immense burden we felt for the Japanese people and galvanized our determination to make a difference on their behalf. The relationships we built we will take with us long after the campaign is over. <br />
<br />
<b>7. Become a Story Teller.</b> This is something we would have done better if we'd just had more time in the day. We met so many people at SXSW with compelling stories to share. We were so busy it was hard to post updates on our sites and share those stories with others. However, if we had to do it all over again, we would have shot more video (ugly or not) and posted more updates as we went along in the process. We did manage to get a few posts up and later in the game, even shot video interviews with some of the Japanese attendees we met at SXSW. We strongly recommend determining up front to share your story as it unfolds (the cause, your activities, key “happenings”) and reserve the time to do this. Share it in as many channels and formats as you can (Twitter, Hashtags, Blog Posts, Media, Video), so the word can spread more readily to other people. As you do this, people will discover your effort and get to unwrap it – one layer at a time, and experience less fatigue as an ever-fresh, real, human message is delivered. <br />
<br />
<b>8. Iteratively Build on Success.</b> In any grassroots, rapid, crowd-sourced movement, you will rarely score perfection. Without question, there were weaknesses in our approach, but we didn’t make that the focus of our effort. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Aim for excellence but be okay with good enough. Quickly note what works and what doesn’t work. Accept your limitations and when something works well, improve upon it. Working with SXSW and the city of Austin to extend our effort to the music track led to our involvement in the Hanson Telethon, which rallied an array of impressive, talented artists and musicians to our cause. Go with the flow, as new opportunities present themselves attempt to keep your mind and heart open to new ideas and activities. <br />
<br />
<b>9. Be Respectful.</b> When you're engaged in something like this it's easy to get wrapped up in your own reality. You can push for donations, push for tweets, push for mentions at speeches, but you can also be too pushy. I'm sure some people got sick of us blabbing about this outreach and I know on at least one occasion, I went too far in talking about it. It’s important to realize that some people may not share your convictions or your perspective. For example, we ran into a tech editor for a large media outlet that was highly suspicious of our effort. Prepare to meet those who are apathetic, or skeptical of you or your cause. Be prepared for people who will misjudge your motives or criticize your work (while offering nothing constructive). Smile at them. Be gracious. They are usually a very tiny minority. Be open and honest and address their concerns respectfully. The best you can do is share your story, make your mission and requests (Tweet, share, donate, watch video, buy, etc.) clear. After that, respect people's right to form their own opinions and take action as they see fit. <br />
<br />
<b>10. Celebrate Giving. </b>We can't say enough great stuff about the community that contributed to our effort with promotion, volunteering and by making donations. In fact, we found ourselves walking around with wide-eyed gratitude and using the words “Wow” and “Thank You” frequently. We made an earnest attempt to give everyone credit. We attempted to thank everyone (which became an impossible task) for their overwhelming support. We did our best to place everyone in the spotlight – which is why the array of blog posts and media articles highlighted different angles of the effort – and different personalities – involved in our campaign. We loved this because it celebrated the community that was involved in the charity. After all, it was all about people helping people from the very start. In the end, that’s what successful, grassroots, crowd sourced efforts are about.<br />
<br />
We hope you find these insights helpful, as we continue to support Japan while returning to our client work, blogging, etc. We also want to thank <a href="http://www.blogworldexpo.com/">Blog World Expo</a> for hosting us.<br />
<br />
Please keep in mind that while the conference and campaign are officially over you can still make a donation on the <a href="http://www.sxsw4japan.org/">SXSW Cares / SXSW4Japan website</a>. We are still waiting for one outstanding $5k corporate donation, which will put us at just under <b>$130k</b> in online donations alone. This doesn't include the hundreds-of-thousands that were donated via text message direct to the Red Cross or funds raised through the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sxsw4japan/dp/B004UY1TSY">SXSW4Japan Benefit Album</a>.<br />
<br />
While we've said it before, thank you to everyone who participated - there are literally thousands of you - and we hope you will remember Japan and continue to support this country as they rebuild for the future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-12924200739190702832011-05-20T16:45:00.001-05:002011-05-23T14:45:04.703-05:00Meet Me at Blog Worldve been heads down with a ton of client work lately and have had regrettably little time to post. However, there's new stuff coming on Customer Experience and business shift very soon, as well as upcoming Customer Experience chats on Twitter to look forward to.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, I will be speaking on a panel at <a href="http://www.blogworldexpo.com/">Blog World Expo</a>, with<a href="http://www.twitter.com/robjwu"> Rob Wu, Founder of Causevox</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/samsungtweets">Esteban Contreras, Social Media Manager from Samsung</a> and our moderator, <a href="http://www.causemediagroup.com/">Chris Noble, CEO of Cause Media,</a> about our <a href="http://www.sxsw4japan.org/">SXSW4Japan</a> effort next week. Our session Tuesday is called <a href="http://blogworld-nyc2011.sched.org/event/353f389e771b322939c7aa02e982451c">"SXSW4J: A Case Study in Rapid, Iterative Development, Crisis Response, Crowd Sourcing and Social Good.</a>" We look forward to bringing some of the great lessons learned on our journey and are putting a "Ten Tips for Rapid Social Mobilization" presentation together, which I'll share after our presentation. If you'll be at Blog World Expo and would like to connect, drop by our panel at 3:45 Tuesday, or send me a tweet <a href="http://www.twitter.com/livepath">@livepath</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wFFwzf6KdD0" width="500"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-31145061416858635682011-05-11T13:40:00.001-05:002011-05-11T13:42:56.423-05:00Tonight: Is Customer Experience Management the New Marketing: 8pm ETTonight, I'll be hosting #IMCChat on Twitter with hosts <a href="http://www.annabarcelos.me/">Anna Barcelos</a> and <a href="http://www.theharteofmarketing.com/">Beth Harte</a> at 8pm ET on Twitter. This week, we'll be talking about "next-generation" marketing... specifically, the topic will be: "<b>Is Customer Experience Management the New Marketing?"</b><br />
<br />
You can join us on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #imcchat. You can also use <a href="http://www.tweetchat.com/">Tweetchat</a> or other tools to follow the hashtag and respond.<br />
<br />
To foster some good discussion, one of the things I'd love everyone to check out is the chart I've been using with my clients to help describe the business shift we are seeing today. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74OWycIAtyihCjtyqujExbxOlu74rhgUnPxwl0w6Zr096A4Sz91vONqDhul6lCsc53o_FXChyS66RiaSrFhyphenhyphenIpS1mG-ZbAaCT9vSPXep-gDn4F95a-dGNsI8utRsCbZqUYizB/s1600/PIPMSHIFT_Livepath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74OWycIAtyihCjtyqujExbxOlu74rhgUnPxwl0w6Zr096A4Sz91vONqDhul6lCsc53o_FXChyS66RiaSrFhyphenhyphenIpS1mG-ZbAaCT9vSPXep-gDn4F95a-dGNsI8utRsCbZqUYizB/s400/PIPMSHIFT_Livepath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Post-Millennial dynamics are driving change in all aspects of business today -- from product development to front line sales and Marketing. In tonight's chat, I'd like to discuss how these shifts are changing marketing, and marketer's perspectives of their role in Customer Experience Management.<br />
<br />
Also, for discussion purposes, we'll define customer Experience Management can be defined as follows:<br />
<blockquote><br />
<b>Customer Experience Management (CXM or CEM) is the discipline, methodology and/or process used to comprehensively manage the exposure, interaction and transaction between people and brands -- over time, and across channels. The goal of CEM is to measure and optimize experiences to minimize attrition and maximize satisfaction, loyalty and business outcomes. </b></blockquote>Looking forward to perspectives and insights that will be provided tonight! You can also follow me on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/livepath">@livepath</a>. <br />
<b></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-6714654901357439432011-04-05T11:13:00.003-05:002011-04-05T12:24:13.287-05:00SXSW4Japan ROCKS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfuRFbV-nip4glrXD_mGykAyIO2yXOSXsWKe0dBhrdovC-zRrUMr5UcdTqSmvdr-T5YMZ1inGkFL6Li4yZ35UAwRx439_qDNr-mza2f9EuLu7CecuLyyo04CbBYuXqZ96zKGG/s1600/sxswcares-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfuRFbV-nip4glrXD_mGykAyIO2yXOSXsWKe0dBhrdovC-zRrUMr5UcdTqSmvdr-T5YMZ1inGkFL6Li4yZ35UAwRx439_qDNr-mza2f9EuLu7CecuLyyo04CbBYuXqZ96zKGG/s320/sxswcares-logo.png" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ev7SFIp4zfNoe0Gr2qleMfCEyzogS2AIDd9PMhGMG_87LCAWEZzUCGeaEmm-v1oNjiRtONFQMIfeyfLXzEqFB7sGI5n5VRzUCwn_cqHxuAi0Nth2YPE_apaUUtO9eH2FdEX1/s1600/sxsw4japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ev7SFIp4zfNoe0Gr2qleMfCEyzogS2AIDd9PMhGMG_87LCAWEZzUCGeaEmm-v1oNjiRtONFQMIfeyfLXzEqFB7sGI5n5VRzUCwn_cqHxuAi0Nth2YPE_apaUUtO9eH2FdEX1/s320/sxsw4japan.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><b>A brief update for those who are following my new "side job" coordinating SXSW4Japan fund raising efforts with </b><b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/robjwu">Rob Wu </a>and </b><b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/hansonmusic">Hanson Music</a>!</b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.jaffejuice.com/">Joseph Jaffe</a>, author of </b><b><a href="http://www.flipthefunnelnow.com/">Flip the Funne</a>l, <a href="http://www.jaffejuice.com/2011/03/keynote-for-a-cause-sxsw-edition.html">donated his keynote for this cause</a>, has auctioned one of two keynote speeches to Lifelock, for $15,000, </b>bringing our SXSW4Japan total up over <b>$123,000 </b>in just 3 weeks..and that's just in ONLINE donations. Text donations have yielded hundreds-of-thousands to the Red Cross, and soon, our album sales will, too. <br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript">
var _cvw_settings = {
url: 'sxsw4japan.org'
};
document.write(unescape('%3Cscript src="http://static.causevox.com/_resources/javascripts/widget.js" type="text/javascript"%3E%3C/script%3E'));
</script><br />
<br />
<b>Also, today we released our SXSW4Japan benefit album,</b> featuring 47 tracks from artists like Ben Folds, Natasha Bedingfield, Micheal Stipe of REM, Bowling for Soup, Widespread Panic, Ozomatli (a new favorite!) Rayland Baxter, The Lonely Forest and many more. <b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sxsw4japan/dp/B004UY1TSY/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302016697&sr=301-1">Check out the full lineup and buy the album here:</a></b><br />
<br />
<b>Finally, today (April 5) at 12pm CST our Live Streaming Telethon begins.</b> We'll feature 12 hours of the hottest musicians from SXSW along with some special guest contributors you won't want to miss. For your convenience, the stream and schedule are below. You can <b><a href="http://www.livestream.com/sxsw4japan/share">get the stream for your own site here</a> </b> or <b><a href="http://apps.facebook.com/livestream">share it on your facebook page.</a></b> <br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="340" scrolling="no" src="http://cdn.livestream.com/embed/sxsw4japan?layout=4&color=0xffad4b&autoPlay=false&mute=false&iconColorOver=0xe17b00&iconColor=0xb96500&allowchat=true" style="border: 0pt none; outline: 0pt none;" width="560"></iframe><br />
<div style="font-size: 11px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 560px;">Watch <a href="http://www.livestream.com/?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks" streaming="" title="live" video="">live streaming video</a> from <a at="" href="http://www.livestream.com/sxsw4japan?utm_source=lsplayer&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=footerlinks" livestream.com="" sxsw4japan="" title="Watch">sxsw4japan</a> at livestream.com</div><br />
<b>Schedule:</b><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: 4.75pt; width: 289px;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 26.5pt;"> <td style="border-color: rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt medium; height: 26.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Hour 1</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid none none; border-width: 1pt 1pt medium medium; height: 26.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">John "Jojo" Hermann / Widespread Panic</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">1pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">An Horse</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">12pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Michael Stipe</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">11am MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Miles Zuniga</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">10am PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Rooney</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 28.5pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Emergency Blanket</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Orianthi</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><br />
</td> <td style="height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Hour 2</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid none none; border-width: 1pt 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Tracy Bonham</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">2pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Johnny Polygon</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 18.45pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 18.45pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">1pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 18.45pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">North Mississippi Allstars</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">12pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Imani Coppola</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">11am PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">The Parlotones</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Hour 3</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Andrew WK</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">3pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Jenny O</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">2pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Michael Stipe</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">1pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Bowling For Soup</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">12pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Charlie Mars</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12.15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 12.15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><br />
</td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 12.15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">The Boxer Rebellion</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 3.5pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 3.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 3.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 28.5pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Hour 4</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Stephen Kellogg And The Sixers</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">4pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Jimmy Gnecco</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">3pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Grand Atlantic</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">2pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Alpha Rev</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 12.15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 12.15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">1pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 12.15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Drawn From Bees</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Hour 5</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Ben Folds</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">5pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Leslie Stevens</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">4pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Anna Nalick</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">3pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Locksley</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 17.55pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 17.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">2pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 17.55pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">papercranes</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Amanda Palmer</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><br />
</td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 28.5pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Hour 6</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">North Mississippi Allstars</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">6pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Rooney</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">5pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Philip Nelson</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 28.5pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">4pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 28.5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Taylor Locke And The Roughs</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">3pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">The Gay Blades</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Kina Grannis</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><br />
</td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hour 7</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"></span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Andrew WK</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">7pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">papercranes</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">6pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">5pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Michael Stipe</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">4pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Luke Rathborne</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">John "Jojo" Hermann / Widespread Panic</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><br />
</td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><br />
</td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hour 8</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"></span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Orianthi</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">8pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Cary Brothers</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">7pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Andy Grammer</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">6pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Natasha Bedingfield</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">5pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Rayland Baxter</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hour 9</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"></span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Rayland Baxter</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">9pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Hey Battlefield</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">8pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Laura Jansen</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">7pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Andrew WK</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">6pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Ben Folds</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">The Hours</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Jackson Harris</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hour 10</span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">The Lonely Forest</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">10pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Michael Stipe</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">9pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Kina Grannis</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">8pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Orianthi</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">7pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">John "Jojo" Hermann / Widespread Panic</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Imani Coppola</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Keaton Simons</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Michael Stipe</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hour 11</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"></span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Bowling For Soup</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">11pm ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Ozomatli</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">10pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Keaton Simons</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">9pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Johnny Polygon</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">8pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Jonny Dubowski / Jonny Lives!</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Michael Stipe</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">North Mississippi Allstars</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Amanda Palmer</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Rain Phoenix</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Hour 12</span></u></b><b><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;"></span></u></b></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">Ben Folds</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">12am ET</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt;">River City Extension</span></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">11pm CT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">10pm MT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid; border-width: medium 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">9pm PT</span></div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid none none; border-width: medium 1pt medium medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 15pt;"> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84); border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 79pt;" valign="top" width="105"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color rgb(148, 139, 84) rgb(148, 139, 84) -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; height: 15pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 137.65pt;" valign="top" width="184"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13957765.post-70644495263558408892011-03-24T15:47:00.001-05:002011-03-24T16:01:56.264-05:00Giganto Update - On Grassroots Caring via SXSW Cares SXSW4JapanIn my <a href="http://livepath.blogspot.com/2011/03/true-spirit-of-sxsw-genesis-of.html">last post, I talked about some of the work we were doing at SXSW 2011</a> to <a href="http://www.sxswcares.org/">raise support for Japan Tsunami Relief</a>. Here's a rapid attempt at an update:<br />
<br />
Here's an interview from Day 2 with <a href="http://www.twitter.com/samsungesteban">Esteban Contreras</a> that describes how it started:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VAe3lr9LhRw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our team continued to work like mad to field media inquiries and promote SXSW Cares / SXSW4Japan. The name stuck differently for different people -- but it was the same movement. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/robjwu">Rob Wu</a> (who wasn't available during our first interview) did an admirable job parallel tracking with me on all this -- but especially making sure his team kept our site up-to-date, adding features and functionality that extended the site socially, liaising with cause advocates to set up new fundraising pages under our site. He was also doing interviews, posts, shooting video and hustling all over with with me to interviews with the media and participation on two panels. He also coordinated on-site donation relief efforts with <a href="http://sxsw-asia.com/JapanNite2011/">Japan Nite</a>, <a href="http://hurricaneparty.com/">Hurricane Party</a>, The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/etsylabs/sets/72157626232429112/">Etsy Party</a> and other grassroots fundraisers who donated to the Red Cross in the name of SXSW Cares -- bringing together the community in a greater way. Some of them raised substantial funds, and we appreciated their desire to express solidarity as a SXSW Community.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sxwzMBQqmHw" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On her own time, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/jessakka">Jessica Lin</a> had helped us with - well, everything, but she was especially great at monitoring and managing the tweet streams and fielding incoming opportunities and requests. She did this while managing her work load with grace and style and she is one smart cookie. In parallel, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/drnatalie">Dr. Natalie Pethouoff</a> took her own time to talk to companies on the trade show floor and procured several sizable donations from companies like <a href="http://www.rightnow.com/">RightNow</a> (disclosure: client), <a href="http://www.getsatisfaction.com/">GetSatisfaction</a> and the <a href="http://www.refresheverything.com/">Pepsi Refresh Project</a> (among others). She paid out of her pocket for the cards we printed and circulated. She was also a driving force in our CNN coverage for SXSW Cares and SXSW4Japan. We were also joined by <a href="http://www.twitter.com/denicetex">Denice Crowell</a>, who worked sacrificially to create banners and help coordinate on-site activities on the music track as the Interactive session came to a close and everyone began to leave. Denice was a tremendous help, and even drove us around when needed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking back, I'm not sure what I did, but the best way to describe it might be cat herding: Liaising between the Red Cross, SXSW leadership, City of Austin, brands, media, donors, organizing impromptu panel discussions, writing copy, tweeting (as I could), coordinating with volunteers and coordinating media releases, promotions and on-site outreach. I remember any of this, however, so I can't be sure. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media2.production.samsungsxswi.com/content/photos/detail/CNNGrillSXSW_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://media2.production.samsungsxswi.com/content/photos/detail/CNNGrillSXSW_detail.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do remember spending a lot of time. Waiting. Here. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The SXSW Leadership team called me Sunday and asked if we could organize an <a href="http://sxsw.com/node/6983">impromptu teleconference and panel</a> to be held in place of the full keynote scheduled with Bill Keller, Editor in Chief of the New York Times. I don't have any video of that right now, but Deb, Rob and I rallied and we were very honored to do this. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later we returned to the blogger lounge where we met up for a second time with <a href="http://www.causemedia.com/">Chris Noble</a> who had been busy working to find donors as a tireless advocate for our cause. <a href="http://pistachioconsulting.com/">Laura Fitton</a> joined him, and swung by to give us Samsung Galaxy Tab as a giveaway, courtesy of the 140 Conference. While we were working the lounge, we were asked to do an impromptu panel in the blogger lounge with Chris, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/howardr">Howard Greenstein</a> and <a href="http://www.drewolanoff.com/">Drew Olanoff.</a> It was a lot of fun.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rJWIP5jFiX0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>As you'll note from the footage, <a href="http://www.samsung.com/">Samsung's</a> own, local SXSW team also kicked in a sizable donation to help our cause, as they watched us work feverishly together in the lounge. This was over and above the incredible pledge Samsung has made toward the devastated country of Japan. The Samsung team was awesome to us, along with their PR team from Weber Shandwick and we can't thank them enough.<br />
<br />
On the 15th, the leadership at SXSW donating badges to award for specific donation amounts. Just prior to making an announcement in the lounge, I met up with Joseph Jaffe, author of the best-seller, "Flip the Funnel." As a prior advocate for fundraising for Haiti, Joseph generously volunteered (on the spot) to <a href="http://www.jaffejuice.com/2011/03/keynote-for-a-cause-sxsw-edition.html">auction off keynote engagements with all proceeds going to SXSWCares.</a> There's one remaining keynote being auctioned. The first one went for $15,000. Thank you, Joseph.<br />
<br />
Over the days that ensued, we were actively promoted in posts, tweets and panels by an incredible (and impossible to count) community of smart people, including <a href="http://www.twitter.com/briansolis">Brian Solis</a>, <a href="http://www.holykaw.com/">Guy Kawasaki</a>, <a href="http://www.webinknow.com/2011/03/sxsw-responds-to-japan-disasters-in-real-time.html">David Meerman Scott</a>, <a href="http://www.stephanieagresta.com/">Stephanie Agresta</a>, <a href="http://www.drewolanoff.com/">Drew Olanoff,</a> <a href="http://www.mpdailyfix.com/why-im-glad-i-went-to-sxsw-despite-my-reluctance-one-virgins-experience/">Ann Handley</a>, <a href="http://mackcollier.com/sxsw-2011-review/">Mack Collier</a>, <a href="http://www.conversationagent.com/2011/03/the-stream-comes-first.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConversationAgent+%28Conversation+Agent%29">Valeria Maltoni</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/kellyecrane">Kellye Crane</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ekaterina">Ekaterina Walter</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/shellykramer">Shelly Kramer</a>, <a href="http://www.theharteofmarketing.com/2011/03/saturday-morning-reads-south-southwest-sxsw-cares-japan-tsunami-earthquake-relief.html">Beth Harte</a>, <a href="http://geofflivingston.com/tag/sxsw-cares/">Geoff Livingston</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/kamichat">Kami Watson-Huyse</a>, <a href="http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2011/03/sxsw_favorites.html">David Armano</a>, <a href="http://blog.stroutmeister.com/2011/03/memories-and-milestones.html">Aaron Strout, </a> <a href="http://www.meghanscibona.com/?p=9">Meghan Scibona </a>and so many others I can hardly count. (If I forgot you, please forgive me, I'm only now catching up on things -- as well as sleep). In short, the collaboration and teamwork have been simply amazing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mackcollier.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSCN0360-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://mackcollier.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSCN0360-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>On Wednesday the 16th, the Interactive types flowed out of SXSW and it was like someone flipped a culture switch. There was a totally different vibe at the convention center, at parties and meetings. We had been asked by the SXSW leadership to help extend our outreach to the music track. Unfortunately, Rob had to leave for the <a href="http://www.nten.org/ntc"><b>Non-Profit Technology Conference</b></a>, so continuing with a lack of sleep and facing a dizzying array of opportunities and requests, we began working remotely together. So, it was truly a blessing to see people like Matt Curtis, Kevin Connor and Denice Crowell standing up to help drive band support, announcements, additional fundraising, on-site donation at concerts <br />
<br />
Our team continued to promote our cause on the floor and with the media. With SXSW's help, we also set up a Red Cross/SXSW Cares booth at the large venue concerts at Auditorium Shores. We also partnered with the Mayor's office during the Mayor's Reception to kick off SXSW Music and did promotion on the KGSR Live Broadcast from the Four Seasons. By last Saturday (March 19th) morning, we'd raised about $83k for the Red Cross Earthquake and Tsunami Relief.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMGjcUBryUq4Ag_Sv1UnkiR0R_kO_ArNWZYrILqHKbIh9dGcKow4njoNUd0LDBxt8mM2o5Y9yj8fx3DK3eobO3gFsB8u4wIfjCD2qaYGGZE2XK-EeIf-o_icIh_ci4IkYZFjk/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMGjcUBryUq4Ag_Sv1UnkiR0R_kO_ArNWZYrILqHKbIh9dGcKow4njoNUd0LDBxt8mM2o5Y9yj8fx3DK3eobO3gFsB8u4wIfjCD2qaYGGZE2XK-EeIf-o_icIh_ci4IkYZFjk/s320/IMG_0105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzWWV2jJ7jXsf9_l8hSEZ9KQ829Yq3Cqb_SV_W2VPEx6YsQ8Tg2dNYADd11zTRoMUAYVk2_4sBRIkkJ9TsateMu2n5AJWFy6iZHshgxp1yXotM8dLvXDeRv5cJrlEOCiwoyoB/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzWWV2jJ7jXsf9_l8hSEZ9KQ829Yq3Cqb_SV_W2VPEx6YsQ8Tg2dNYADd11zTRoMUAYVk2_4sBRIkkJ9TsateMu2n5AJWFy6iZHshgxp1yXotM8dLvXDeRv5cJrlEOCiwoyoB/s320/IMG_0112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhum2BOWzMRSd_OfvkqBhueA-7Y4NfEn0Hs_Ff43AnFE2-jEcw1R909Sm9fQW91XiOGhnOUV2B_uqn2NGbpQCvq3CX5gkyN67e05vgCDiGcZ9AS0BG7PWj-8BLplPEgg-tG3mRy/s1600/IMG_0125_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhum2BOWzMRSd_OfvkqBhueA-7Y4NfEn0Hs_Ff43AnFE2-jEcw1R909Sm9fQW91XiOGhnOUV2B_uqn2NGbpQCvq3CX5gkyN67e05vgCDiGcZ9AS0BG7PWj-8BLplPEgg-tG3mRy/s320/IMG_0125_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwViqf9MWwOS-cRqbXTh_39JYck2BQFczsg-_3L58kBsoj5fCnHHy7CTIz6liW_66fmigaEW1f3C1I' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
On Friday afternoon, I got an email from Hugh asking me if we could connect with <a href="http://www.hanson.net/site/sections/1">Hanson Music</a>. Zack, Issac, Taylor (Members of the Band, Hanson!) and Rebecca were organizing a live, streaming 12 hour (!!!) music telethon that featured some of the most awesome bands and artists at SXSW. Rob arranged to host the stream on our site, they announced at the Four Seasons and printed flyers and started the stream around noon on Saturday. It ran until midnight.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXbxUXVJX0K33pESkWeR6GpUYZMUg31oh6BHuP6gv5q5Cfs3PnXDPArrpZFqEVhJzIXgGS6dmHYcECMmPhc9TUN323hVrmrqDi407j4QcbKHz0yK38TR9W-r9v1-LoEkrSY4m/s1600/IMG_20110318_234335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXbxUXVJX0K33pESkWeR6GpUYZMUg31oh6BHuP6gv5q5Cfs3PnXDPArrpZFqEVhJzIXgGS6dmHYcECMmPhc9TUN323hVrmrqDi407j4QcbKHz0yK38TR9W-r9v1-LoEkrSY4m/s320/IMG_20110318_234335.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In the middle of doing press, packing to leave and nearly missing my flight, I only caught the beginning. I got in around 10pm and caught the end. It was really impressive. Steady stream of great bands and artists - all coordinated out of a small studio in Austin. Catching the tail end, I was delighted to watch <a href="http://www.ozomatli.com/">Ozomatli </a>tear it up -- and <a href="http://benfolds.com/">Ben Folds</a>' customized "how to text the Red Cross" demo and entertaining musical antics.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5550183049_7fce618bdc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5550183049_7fce618bdc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Check out the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.hanson.net/site/sections/1">Flickr set by the talented Jeremy Charles her</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">e!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Working with the Hansons has been terrific and the telethon proves both (proving both their resourcefulness and their talent) and we are delighted to have partnered with them in this endeavor. It was a big success, and went far toward our goal of uniting the music community around Japan and reaching our goal of $100k in online donations for Japan. <br />
<br />
<b>Note: Since the broadcast, we've been talking and we're happy to announce that we'll be re-streaming this broadcast (with a host of other little surprises) very soon. So, please stay tuned for more announcements!</b><br />
<br />
So.... that's what's been happening here. <b>It's so bizarre, looking back.</b> Rob and I figured we could raise an easy $10k for the Red Cross. We hit that goal in <i>two days. </i>We just kept raising the bar, and people kept giving. <b>Today, we're at $105k with an additional $35k in commitments</b>. Incidentally, Our donation counter <b>doesn't </b>include the money raised via text donation to Red Cross at 90999. Those donations are received directly by the Red Cross and are difficult to track. <i> However,</i> we did hear from the Red Cross that <b>last weekend alone (16-17th) the Red Cross attributed more than $400,000 in text donations</b> as a result of SXSW4Japan. <br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Thats. Just. Awesome.</b><br />
<br />
When I got home after 10 days in Austin, I was welcomed by the smells of home, the hugs and kisses from my attention deprived three year old, beautiful step daughter, my super supportive husband and our ever faithful, ball-obsessed Labrador Retriever. As I hugged them all, it was a sobering reality to consider how many people in Japan and other devastated areas are now deprived of such a homecoming. We have so much we can easily take even the smallest comforts for granted. My prayer is that God will prick our hearts and help us all understand.<br />
<br />
We encourage you to give -- your time, your talents, your money. Do it wisely - as there are some parties skimming 15% or more off the top of donations right now! Please keep in mind that 100% of online donations go directly to the American Red Cross Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief fund for Japan. As far as SXSW Cares / SXSW 4 Japan -- we're still <a href="http://www.sxsw4japan.org/">taking donations online</a> and will be making more announcements soon. <br />
<br />
Again, to the team who has worked alongside me over the past 10 days, sacrificing their own time and resources, to raise funds for Japan - THANK YOU:<br />
<blockquote><a href="http://www.twitter.com/robjwu"><b>Rob Wu</b></a> - CEO, <a href="http://www.causevox.com/">CauseVox</a> and Co-Curator of sxsw4japan / sxswcares<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/debng"><b>Deb Ng </b></a>- Conference Director, Blog World Expo; and Social Networking Diva<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/jessakka"><b>Jessica Lin</b></a> - Director of Strategic Planning, McCann Erickson; Community Manager<br />
<b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/drnatalie">Natalie Petouhoff</a> </b>- Director, Strategy, Weber Shandwick and Corporate Donations Diva<br />
<b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/denicetex">Denice Crowell</a></b> - Writer, CCH TeamMate and On-Site Coordinator for Concerts<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/hansonmusic"><b>Hanson Music/ 3G Records</b></a> - (Zac, Issac, Taylor & Rebecca) for a masterfully coordinated streaming 12-hour telethon, incredible talent and fortitude<br />
<b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/sxswnews">SXSW</a> </b>- Hugh Forrest and Kevin Connor who offered unparalleled personal and professional support, advocacy, promotion, displaying zero ego in the process. It was an honor working with them.<br />
<a href="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/council/contacts.htm"><b>City of Austin</b> </a>- Matt Curtis, Communications Director, Mover, Shaker and Masterful connector and super nice guy<br />
<a href="http://www.redcross.org/"><b>Red Cross </b></a>- Nina Lior, Marty McKellips, Debbie Immel and Stephanie - you were all terrific and ultra responsive. Thank you!</blockquote>Thanks also to everyone who tweeted, re-tweeted, clicked, donated, volunteered, wrote blog posts and offered words of encouragement to our team in this endeavor. Personal thanks to my family, especially my Cousin Lance Ray and his beautiful wife, Amy. They are two of my favorite people in the world and let me come in and out of their home at all hours of the night and day as their dogs barked protectively and woke them up. If I've forgotten ANYONE please let me know. <br />
<br />
Winded, overwhelmed, blessed and grateful.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/austin/digitalsavant/upload/2011/03/sxsw4japan_take/IMG_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/shared-blogs/austin/digitalsavant/upload/2011/03/sxsw4japan_take/IMG_0051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me (Leigh Durst) with SXSW Cares / SXSW4Japan with Co-Curator, Rob Wu - Courtesy: Austin Statesman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18144819958887806805noreply@blogger.com0