These are the musings of a diverse dude. We'll discuss sports, politics, family, music, hunting, fishing, and of course, all things that hold the interest of yellow dogs and those that patrol with them.
My career has really been focused on ecommerce pretty much since the halcyon days of its invention by Al Gore. I’ve launched and grown two major websites (both now doing over $100MM in annual sales each), been responsible for the revenue performance of a dozen others, and driven performance via channels like natural search, paid search, email, affiliates, portals, social media, and others. And during all of this time, the warning has been raised to web marketers to be prepared because the combination of mobile phones and ecommerce is just around the corner. It’s been stated so much that the mantra sounds like “wolf” is getting cried yet again.
However, that’s not the case anymore.
Mobile phones have added massive amounts of sophistication, including speed (both bandwidth and processing), GPS capabilities, and hosts of new applications and functionalities that are built specifically for the machines. This leap and combination of technologies has unleashed a massive set of utility that was heretofore unimaginable. And that has resulted in us finally arriving to the point where mobile marketing is now poised and ready to take commerce (both electronic and physical) to a whole new level.
Consider new applications like Foresquare (to which I’m hopelessly addicted), Goby, Around Me, Facebook’s rumored foray, and even simple map applications that now not only help customers find stores, but can actually deliver real-time incentives based on a potential customer’s proximity and proclivity. Consider applications that serve up price comparisons and customer reviews as the customer stands in the aisle considering a purchase. Consider all of these new functionalities injected with the momentum that social media currently offers. It boggles the mind.
Traditional ecommerce will not be going away anytime soon, just like traditional brick-and-mortar and catalog commerce will continue to survive and thrive. However, as I engage with it more I’m becoming more and more professionally and personally enthralled with the concept of mobile marketing. I can see the future here; it is robust in what it will mean to businesses and consumers alike, and it is right around the corner. Personally, I’m limited on working on these opportunities as they don’t fit our business model well, but I will be pushing the envelope at work to see where I can play. In the mean time, for business owners with a physical location (or more), I’d immediately start playing with these apps. While there’s a scant amount of users right now, the same could be said about Facebook a short 3 years ago. First movers that acquire their sea legs the fastest will have a distinct advantage.
By the way, if you’re a Foursquare user, post up. I’m in need of some friends on that space.
This past weekend was spent with my mom, wife and brother at a family reunion on my dad's side in Black River Falls. It was well attended (over 40 of us), impeccably organized due to a ton of hard work by my cousin Cathy, and was held at a perfect location on a perfect day.
Some relevant insights from the weekend:
While we never did too much as an extended family while growing up, it is surprising the closeness that I felt over the weekend. There's something about blood; it's tangible, and it was fun for me to feel and see.
When this crew gathers, you don't want to be late to get a piece of cake.
Just like other aspects of life where two outlooks dominate life (Democrats vs. Republicans, Gophers vs. Badgers, Catholics vs. everyone else), marshmallow philosophy boils down into two camps split very evenly - brown and toasty (the right one) and burned and black (yuck).
Do not, repeat, do not, under any circumstances, go to the Pizza Hut in Black River Falls.
While we had great attendance, I was struck by the amount of time conversations rolled to folks who weren't there, and how much they were missed.
Jimmy and Jay really need to take their stuff out on comedy tour. Highly entertaining.
Random meetings with pirates with glow sticks can be kind of interesting.
As a family, we have a lot of which we should be proud and thankful.
I can't remember the last time I shotgunned a beer (which is probably not surprising), and was grateful that I can still do so. I think.
What's "scary" in terms of campfire stories is in the eye of the beholder. I'm just happy that the story didn't morph to involve Tavaris Jackson. Now that would have been really scary.
There's a definite lag of time that should be observed between marshmallow cooking and eating, and significant ramifications for not observing it.
Last, and most important: my brother and I are the official holders of the Sidders/Lewis/Murphy Golf Ball Ladder Game Championship. We welcome all challenges.
What a great weekend. Thanks to everyone for coming out, and for the hard work that made it such a success. I look forward to seeing you all again.
We lived on Lake Minnetonka growing up, and many times Grandma would come out to our house for Sunday dinner and a ride around the lake. This was the late 70's and early 80's, and our boat was equipped with a state of the art 8-track tape player for listening to tunes while cruising the lake.
In pervious trips, Grandma always voiced her displeasure with Dad's choice in music, which usually consisted of a heavy rotation of CCR, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Waylon Jennings, and Jimmy Buffett. So it came as no surprise when she showed up one beautiful Sunday afternoon armed with an 8-track of her own; The Best of Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. Dad immediately voiced his displeasure, but Grandma was adamant, so we cruised the waves while choking down the dulcet tones of the big band giant. Of course Auld Lang Syne was included as part of the mix, which created quite a contrast booming from the speakers of a large boat in the July heat. No matter. Grandma was as pleased as she could be. Unfortunately, my Dad was stewing.
As we cruised the lake, tension hung in the thick, humid air as the power play continued with Dad trying to change tapes and Grandma having none of it. Since Dad could not win, our ride was mercifully cut short and we headed back to the house for some cooler heads and some Sunday dinner. That's when the event occurred that still brings debate in our family to this day.
We arrived at the dock and began to offload people and our gear, and soon everyone and everything was on the dock, except for Dad and the offending tape. Grandma requested that Dad hand the tape to her, and with what can best be described as an effort made with "alligator arms," Dad extended Guy Lombardo over the side of the boat and released. The tape hung there for a second, like Wile E Coyote going over a cliff, and despite a pretty athletic lunge by Grandma, it fell into the blackness of the mud of our landing. Immediately Grandma issued howls of protests and accusations of dropping the tape on purpose, which were met with equal denials and claims of innocence by Dad. The debate carried into the house, lasted though dinner, and while it ultimately would simmer down, it never truly went away; it came up in conversations and family gatherings for years to come.
While time and repeated telling of the story may have modified it slightly, with Dad ultimately playing the hero by killing off the Lombardo beast, I personally think that his efforts that day weren't a truly conscious effort. I'll grant you that Dad's blood pressure was such that Guy needed to die, and that Dad's subconscious likely executed the evil deed, but had the action been intended to be so overt, Guy likely would have found himself as man-overboard an hour earlier into the trip.
Regardless of how it really played out, it is a story that captures their two personalities and their interpersonal dynamic so well that we'll enjoy telling it for years to come.
These guys developed one of the most creative music videos of all time for their hit "Here it Goes Again." If you missed it, here it goes again...
They've just released a new video for their song End Love, and this time they've outdone themselves. Play it, and stick with it until the end. Trust me.
A couple of points:
I don't need to mention it, but but the goose totally stole the show.
Check out the woman with the toddler in the lower right at about the 3:30 mark. Wow.
WC Fields is credited with saying that one should never work with children or animals. I think in the case of this video, he was wrong.
I know I gush a lot about this restaurant, but Terra Waconia is not a unique restaurant. My wife and I headed there last week for some conversation and some outstanding cooking. We weren't disappointed in any way.
First, we were thrilled to try a new addition from Parely Lake winery, a very tasty Frontenac Gris. We started the dinner with the requisite order of mussels, and were fortunate enough to have the co-owner/chef poke his head out and promise to "kick the order up a notch." Consider that pitch hit out of the park. The broth was equal parts richness and spice that made for an incredible start. We then moved onto entrees - mine being fabulous pan fried walleye served over a bed of pureed parsnip, while my wife had an expertly prepared chicken with mashed potatoes and grilled carrots that were painfully good.
As we enjoyed our meal and conversation, the table next to us posed a riddle to anyone in earshot. Multiple tables participated in tossing out answers, and your faithful scribe landed upon the right answer. A new and similarly constructed riddle was floated, and I happened to be the first to derive the answer to that as well. Our neighbors at the next table congratulated us on the answers, and demanded to buy us dessert as a reward. Despite protests (and, yeah, we didn't protest too hard - we're talking about dessert here) our new friends placed an order for us, paid their bill and left.
My wife and I continued our conversation, and the evening slowed down, which afforded chef Craig to come out again to talk. His passion for what is being done at Terra Waconia is clear, as evidenced in a story he told about a local strawberry grower and the different varietals of berry that were available. He later escaped to the kitchen and came back with a sample of two such varietals, and we were amazed at the distinct differences between the fruits. The picture shows the tasting presentation (post taste), along with our delicious creme brulee reward.
Simply another great evening at this fabulous restaurant - great locally grown and passionately prepared food, delicious locally grown wine, hearty conversation (either at your table or with others), and personalized service that is a rarity. Go see Tracy, Craig, and crew.
I came out from my morning doctor appointment and found that I was parked smack dab in the middle of practice for the Waconia Marching Band. I snapped a quick picture so I had proof that I wasn't really playing hooky.
Stuff like this is exactly why we love living in Waconia so much. Main street, big old Catholic church, American flags, and the random possibility that your day could be interrupted by something like marching band practice.
All that was missing was a baseball game, my mom, and a big old piece of apple pie.
Growing up, I had been a massive NHL fan. I was lucky to follow a team in the North Stars that was fun to watch, and was a strong winner. I was also lucky to see the game in its heyday, with Wayne Gretzky and the great Edmonton teams, Mario Lemieux, and rivalries that the league hasn't seen in a couple of decades. I was so addicted to the sport that my buddies and I cobbled together our precious just-out-of-college funds and acquired season tickets that were split among us. I was truly fortunate to see so many fantastic players, and to see them live.
Of all the great players the North Stars had (Bobby Smith, Neil Broten, Mike Modano, Craig Hartsburg, Brian Bellows, etc.), nobody could score goals like Dino Ciccarelli. Despite his diminutive size, Dino was a fixture in front of the net, instigating contact and tipping in shots and rebounds left and right. He had an agitator's attitude, and drew the ire of many an opponent. His scrapes with Chicago Blackhawks' tough guy Al Secord were renown.
Dino was tough, hard working, and more than anything else, had a real nose for goal scoring. He ultimately finished his career with 278 power play goals (8th all time!) and still owns the record for most playoff goals scored by a rookie at 14 during the incredible '80-'81 run in which the Stars advanced to the Stanley Cup finals against the juggernaut New York Islanders.
Granted, Dino had some on and off-ice issues. He's likely not the guy you want teaching an anger management class or coaching your kid's hockey team. It is likely those things are likely what has kept him from the Hall of Fame all these years. I will grant you all of that. However, if the team is down a goal, there's 45 seconds left, the home goalie is pulled, and the game is on the line, there was never a better Minnesota player other than Ciccarelli that you wanted to see camped in front of the opponent's goalie.
Congratulations Dino, and thanks for the thrills you provided a broke but fanatical hockey fan all those years ago.
Not being able to send the boom ships because they might be needed elsewhere? If this conversation is accurate, it is obvious that the President desires a disaster, rather than a solution.
And that, my friends, is criminal.
I hope this finds traction in the national media. It really needs to be brought to light.
