Jake Ludens’ Mental Environment

I have been busy working on so many other projects and blogs I thought it would be fun to update my own blog for a change. Here are a few reader facing changes that I have made.

I have really enjoyed Collecta.com over that last year and now I they have created a great Wordpress widget to monitor blog topics inside of your side bar. I installed this widget earlier this afternoon, check it out to your right.

If you are not familiar with Collecta.com, it is a real time search engine that you can adjust to spider through engines, blogs, twitter, you name it. I highly recommend it for when you are watching events and want to know real time comments and thoughts. I had it running during the State of the Union address a few weeks ago and could read the real time thoughts from people all over the US and the world. I plan to update this widget for cool events each week.

Also check out the Meebo.com toolbar at the base of my blog, cool way to share blog posts. You can get download the Meebo Toolbar here.

I took a few days vacation from blogging. I was participating in a 30 day challenge to blog each day for a month, well I fell short. It wasn’t that I didn’t have time, it was that I wanted to clear my head and follow the theory that less is more. I thought, making blog posts just for the sake of posting really dilutes the quality of the content your readers expect.

Further more, I took a few days off from blogging, twittering, txt’ing to spend some time with family that was in town. I feel all of us who embrace the social media world need to be reminded from time to time that spending time with our real family is more important that spending time with our virtual families.

Now that my disclaimer is out there, I have a few hours here before I leave to go see the Arizona Cardinals take on the Atlanta Falcons and it gives me time to reflect on 2008. What a year it was for my life. Here is a Harper’s Weekly style summary for everyone.

January – Diane and I Celebrated New Years, by accidentally being allowed into a $200 per person private party at a fine Italian restaurant here in Vegas. (no names, don’t want them to find out).

February – Turned 29, went to see Artie Lang at Mandalay Bay and Diane got to meet him after the show, super cool.

March – Diane and I purchase a house and construction begins.

April – House construction was in full swing, started choosing options for the house.

May – The house started looking like a house and Diane and I already sold almost everything we owned.

June – Selling Source / PartnerWeekly eliminated my position to change their corporate structure.

July – Go to work for Black Diamond Digital Imaging.

August – Closed on the house and hours later on our way to Idaho with VegasGeek for a two day concert. This was one of the most fun trips I have ever taken. Can’t wait to do it again in 2009. Any excuse to wear a cowboy hat.

September – Economy really started to fall apart, but was able to get away and visit my parents in Wyoming. That is always a party.

October – New theme for JakeLudens.com and Diane and I went to a record number of Halloween Parties. Normally I am not one to dress up a lot.

November – Diane and I got engaged! Yeah how crazy is that? I am excited, should probably set a date for the wedding, 2010, 2011?

December – 30 day blog challenge. My parents came to Vegas to see the new house and stay with us for a week. It was great, our first Christmas in the new house and we had all of the family here.

2009 is starting out great, I spent yesterday spending gift cards from Christmas and watching football. Now I am off to see an NFL playoff game in Arizona. I can’t wait to see what 2009 has in store for the bloggers, tweetfreaks, and this crazy life of mine.

I have had a number of new Twitter Followers today and wanted to give them a quick shout out, since it has been a busy day and I didn’t get to respond.

@cashkits – Great looking membership site (send me a free copy of your kit and I will be happy to review it. )

@webdesi3 – Spotlight Blogger – Submit your best blog post of the week.

@PRsarahevans – I love her playful but professional theme and Sarah is a connected Twitter user.

@CCSeed – Reflections on rural living and social media, I will be reading this blog for sure. Rural living, reminds me of my childhood in Wyoming, Thanks Richard.

@Nabbit – Just check out Nabbit.com, awesome branding with the frog, awesome name for a company.

@Jimconnolly – Jim’s Marketing Blog – cool resource for any marketing buffs out there. Thanks Jim

@bobfirestone – Bob, thanks for stopping by Black Diamond Digital last night for the Social Media Meet Up. It was great to meet you.

Thanks again everyone for following me.

I attended my second Social Media Meet-Up tonight, it was help down at the Black Diamond Digital Office Lounge. It was a good turn out with a few familiar faces and a few new faces. What more could you ask for? Well, I will tell you, new great ideas and I had several tonight, thanks to the insights of everyone at the table.

I see myself as a problem solver, but even more so a puzzle solver. By this I mean putting together pieces that others may not even see as a part of a puzzle. Or other times there isn’t a puzzle to be solved and I still try to force the pieces together. That was sort of the theme for today, determining what is a puzzle and what is not? This to me sounds a lot more productive than calling everything a problem.

Let me start with an example. One of my best friends put a message on my Facebook profile pleading with me to stop blogging. He is doesn’t see the point of posting insights up on a page and I think he still views it as an online “diary”. That is ok, blogging isn’t for everyone. However, as I read his comments busting on me, it dawned on me this is a great way to come up with a clear explaination that I can present to people who don’t see the value of blogging and are quick to dismiss it. So, I am going to start sending him different points of views about how blogging is a great way to connect with customers, as well as friends and family. After, all he posted on my Facebook profile so is already on board with Social Media. Do I dare tell him his Facebook profile is essentially a blog about him? Nah, he is a smart guy he will figure it out.

Puzzle One of the day created, solution imagined, all that is left is the execution. (Bryon, you are going to love this, cheers).

Second example or puzzle of the day, my brother and I had a great conversation about the new ways people are deciding to advertises when budgets get tight and a majority of companies are turning to digital media. We came to the conclusion that there are some fundemental shifts that are going on in our industry, however the rules still apply even if the mediums change. In a nutshell, is a great image produced with oil paint any less appealing to the viewer then if it was printed on a color laser printer? To your traditionalists, yes, to a consumer, no. Here is the thing though, conversations like this are where the lines of a puzzle needing to be solved and a lot of pieces available that sound like they might be good together cross. Can you come up with one solution to this? No, there are too many variables included.

And that brings me to my point of this post, it is important to keep an open mind to all new innovations, trends and tools at your disposal, but make sure someone else’s ideas don’t become extra pieces in the puzzle you are trying to solve. Identify early if there is a puzzle to be solved and use your experience to determine this, then use everything you can to best solve the puzzle for you.

Ok, just a quick post tonight. I am sure by now most of you are sick of hearing that it snowed in the desert. Well, at our house we got around 4 inches, and Buster the snowman arrived to bring us some great Holiday cheer. Check out his face mask.

We are coming to the end of 2008 and all the buzz is still on Social Media. I have mentioned a number of the mainstream Social Media outlets here on my blog, Twitter, Wordpress, Facebook, you know, the usual suspects. This morning I was reading over my normal news feeds, emails, twitter updates and comments on my blog and it got me thinking. What is next for Social Media? Well, this is kind of a tough question to answer. There is no doubt that Social Media’s popularity is booming.

Mashable announced their Open Web Winners today, and the article mentions some of the numbers they had participate this year.

Over 100 Blog Partners have helped make this the biggest Open Web Awards to date with 50,000 total nominations, 80,000 total votes in the first round, and 90,000 votes in the final round. Our blog partners come from 25 countries and are written in 10 different languages.

I used Mashable as an example here not only because it is an informative site, but because it too has become a buzz word. Websites in the coming months needs to be re-evaluated and developed as mashed-up sites. By mashed-up, I mean put together using 3rd party social media outlets as features (widgets) along side the core site content for the company or product the site is promoting.

This is kind of a no brain-er for anyone who has been in the online world for more than a year, but what is going to be interesting is how are the social media networks going to survive offering free services? As more and more large traffic sites start relying on these free outlets, like Twitter and Facebook as their main source of customer service, who pays the hosting bills for all of this traffic?

What are the options that are available that can generate revenue for these companies, and still keep an audience that is used to free and fun? First thing that comes to mind is Advertising, but there are a number of catches to this. With the simple nature of social media networks and social widgets, the two way conversation is the key and what company would want to possibly promote other companies and products on their websites or while talking to their customers. That would be like sitting at a Chili’s and having Applebee’s sponsor all of the TV’s in the bar. (Trust me I have seen this happen).

OK, what if the social networks charge extra to have advertising free services for business users? Simple you couldn’t because there is no way to tell who is a customer and who is a business. Or are they both now?

To end my ramblings this morning, I wanted to put this thought out there. As the next few month unfold, with the world economy in a slump and more and more people are unemployed, how will social media survive? It exists because it is free, it’s popularity will continue to grow, but as the saying goes, there is not such thing as a free lunch.

Today, while waiting for a large upload of images to one of my client’s websites, I started surfing around the WordPress.com homepage. Specifically, I have noticed that my about me page gets a lot of views and I wanted to check out some other blogs to get inspiration on how to write a good “about me” page.

I started by looking at the tag cloud on WordPress and found the “Me” tag. Let me share some of the more interesting blogs posts that had this tag.

Interesting FAQ instead of an About Me page.

Top 10 Marketing Blunders of 2008. This blog was had great links on it. So I started checking out more tags on the site.

Lets see here – Humor – Satan offing his services to bailout GM. Interesting.

Random – All she wants for Christmas is a laser toothbrush, what?

Now this I didn’t really understand, tagging your blog posts with the word blog – Blogs about: Blog

I wasted a lot of time on Wordpress today. However I didn’t find any really good about me pages so I am still back at square one. If you happen to have some time that you want to waste, I recommend checking out some of the very strange tags that pop up on the Wordpress.com network. Even more interesting was the creative names that bloggers are coming up with for the titles of their blogs.

Sorry everyone I missed my post yesterday. I had a short day at the office and then a xmas lunch / party for Diane’s company.

I did see Laura from Lollie Shopping when we stopped for drinks to continue the party. It was very entertaining to see all of the people who are normally very quiet non-profit workers cutting loose and drinking Sake. Oh and like my twitter post from last night, I did see a guy chug half a bottle of soy sauce. Good Times.

Anyway we didn’t stay out very late and when we got home I started watching tv and woke up around 3 am realizing I didn’t post. So I hope it is ok that this post works as my Mulligan.

Last night after posting my blog I was striken with inspiration. As many of you know, I am very strange in that I read all of my spam email and all of my junk mail that I get in my mail box for the house. So last night while reading my junk box of my Gmail account, I thought what kind of story could I write using the subject lines from my spam email? I stayed up a little late and copied down all of the subject lines from the month of November that were in my junk account. (Disclaimer: Subject Lines are in Bold and the subject lines are in order of how they came in. If a spam came in multiple times in a row I only used it once.)

A Day in the Life of Spam

I got up this morning, much the same was as I always do, to the radio, but today instead of music I heard a commercial stating “Cash for seniors in this new option”. Wow, I thought, the economy must be really bad if people are now offering cash for seniors. I guess it is tough out there, all the career jobs are filled up and the standard response now is I saw your resume…please complete your application. Application? What happened to your resume should speak for itself, I haven’t filled out an application for a job since college. All I really want to do is create a way to Watch TV from around the world on your computer. Too bad that isn’t an option for a career. Maybe I will just Call Companies Direct and set up an Interview. I could do that all night long because I would be able to Type in the dark with: New illuminated Logitech Keyboard.

Suddenly I realized that if I did that I would never leave the house and everyone would be calling me saying, “Rid your Colon of weight and toxins”. Plus, the voice in my head was saying that, I would no longer enjoy my Second Chance to Enjoy Ebony Magazine purchased on your behalf.

I wish I knew all of the Hollywood Secrets to only working a few months out of the year or how to earn Cash from home? If you’re a senior homeowner Damn It! Another commercial telling me about seniors and cash. That is just wrong. Is anyone else Sick of the Recession Yet? Earn Thousands,Cash for seniors is a reality now I had to get out of the house, this seniors thing was out of control.

So I headed down to the coffee shop to see what the intellectuals were up to. I bought a cup of coffee at 7 Eleven and received a President Obama Gold Inaugural dollar as change. I was so happy because I knew how I could Make money on ebay and google with it. Why don’t they give these dollars as a scenario for seniors stops mortgage payments. That is a great idea,Barack Obama Inaugural Dollar. Uncle Sam could give you up to $25,000 open to see how. What a great Scenario for seniors stops mortgage payments. On top of that I started to wonder Why government auctions make sense for your budget.

This is crazy too, I have too much Hope for seniors and cash solution. I must have drunk too much coffee. I told myself that I should really be focused on how to Prevent foreclosure and protect your investment. Yet all I could think of was the quick cash I could get from building a home for seniors and cash solution.

I tried to forget about it, besides I didn’t know any seniors. If I had a cell phone at this point I would have started to Call companies direct and schedule job interviews. Instead I finally got to the coffee shop with my 7 Eleven coffee and was met by a woman who was super excited about how she got” LIFE:100 Events that shook our world-limited time offer and how she ordered her coffee with Acai Berry Supreme #1 Super Food.

I sat down in the corner of the shop to hide the fact that I bought 7 Eleven Coffee for a fraction of the price. My cheap coffee almost came out of my nose when I started laughing at another woman who was trying to Stay warm with the blanket with sleeves. Smart idea, she must have gotten one of those online graduate degrees from top colleges.

Just then a man sat down next to me because he noticed my cheap coffee. He said what if there were a lender designed for you? “Excuse me”, I said. The man responded, did you know you could get Cash for seniors turns for the good. I didn’t know what language this guy was speaking but once again I was reminded there is a good market for seniors.

The man introduced himself as Jack and he was in the business of Direct Lending looking for Commercial RE loans. However, business was slow for Jack and next he asked me “what about Gold Jewelry?Unwanted Jewelry?Get Cash Now”? Sorry I told him, I Don’t consolidate…completely eliminate your debt.However, I followed up by saying I was interested in cash for seniors turns for the good. But how would it work if I didn’t know any seniors? Jack gave some great advice,“Sign up for eharmony today for a free profile and find a window company now.”

I knew Jack knew what he was talking about, but to do these tasks I need to find a Sale on Select PC’s tonight only. The quicker I get started the quicker I could start making Cash for seniors turns for the good. While I was walking to the store that sole PC’s, I wondered why seniors we in such a demand, was it After warranty expired, engine broke?

My mind was spinning and telling me I needed to Enjoy Psychology today purchased on your behalf. The Government can help you get started today! Apply for a Federal Grant. That’s it, a Federal Grant. That way I could get a newsletter Update from Colorado Technical University. Everything was coming together, but was I only Looking to eliminate high cable bills?

Enough, I knew I needed to focus. I needed to look past the sign that read One-click access to schools awarding credit for military service. I have never been in the military, that ad didn’t apply to me.

What was I going to do? too many thoughts. 62, own a home? Stop paying mortgage now
entrepreneurs, Government Money is Available. AHHHH! I needed to Find out more how you could save and get out of debt. I have been told you must Find an online degree program that fits your goals!” If I could do that I could Find out how you could take control of your debt and how to get Cash for seniors turns for the good.

Cash for seniors, You will never find these deals at the dollar store. I finally got to the computer store and I had a great idea, Get 250 business cards, I could give them out to any seniors that I meet, then they could call me when they are ready to be sold for cash.

At the store there was a very attractive woman and she asked me, ”Would you like to Test and Keep a Hi Definition TV?” Wow, she must get paid a lot for what she does I thought. I bet with a job like that you could Discover how good it feels to wake up every morning knowing you won your car and you would have enough money to keep Looking for foreclosures. Could you imagine no Debt problems? You’ve got options with a job like hers.

Just then over the loud speakers in the store they said, “Congress gives seniors go ahead cash from house.” Holy cow, Congress is supplying the cash for seniors, this is my lucky day. I need to purchase my business cards and head over to the retirement home, there is a River of opt-in data.

I got to the retirement home and I caught up with the janitor who I knew from high school. The plan was why not Let your friends do the networking for you? After I bribed the janitor with some of the cash for all the seniors I ducked in to a room and saw a man with The world’s most comfortable jaw supporter he looked happy. However the janitor stopped me in my tracks and I said, Low on funds, you could get up to 1500USD and you can always find a Credit card matching search engine. He agreed and I was on my way again, dreaming of how to Enjoy Yachts International purchased on your behalf.

At this point I couldn’t believe that Congress gives seniors go ahead cash from house. This was a lot easier that coming up with a way to Call Companies and schedule interviews. I couldn’t wait to get earn all this cash, I remembered a sign I saw on the walk over, it said Cash in on Lenovo Employee Pricing til Monday. I had no idea what Lenovo was but if they had employees they were up on me. I hope Lenovo is the makers of that Incredible New Electric Pet Nail Trimmer. If I had one of those I could Get a career in public health

I walked out of the retirement home after getting lost and decided the best thing a high roller like my self could do is Treat yourself to a GPS Navigator. As I was walking around the corner I ran into a nurse for the retirement home and I couldn’t help but ask if she had heard Congress gives seniors go ahead cash from house and that with seniors After Warranty expired, engine broke

She responded by asking me if this was how I planned to Turn your debts into wealth and never worry about money again? Why don’t you Get matched with quality online schools and earn money? She told me that is what her family did. “We buy houses fast” she said.

She then asked me, “Who do you match with eharmony could help you know?” Actually I told her, I match with the girl at the computer store who asks “Would you like to test and keep a hi definition tv”. Good for you the nurse said, “now don’t forget that Congress gives seniors go ahead cash from house and go take that girl a Low carb oreo flavored shakes and atkins bars-on us.

Wow, I said, how do you have so much money, you are just a nurse. Oh she said, “I Get a government grant that comes from your tax dollars and study Benefit information for Military Members.

By this time had no idea what the nurse was talking about. The only thought I had was about the Incredible New Electric Pet Nail trimmer. Frustrated I tried to focus, Financial Success can be yours start today I thought. You could graduate online in 1.5 years and You could get matched with a trusted student load relief partner.

Enough of that nonsense today was the day to Get your piece of history today by selling seniors. This was my only way to Stop Living paycheck to Paycheck.

______________________________
I think I just created Mad Libs for SPAM Subject Lines.

This is the opening lyric to Bad Religion’s “Positive Aspect of Negative Thinking” off of their 1990 album Against the Grain.

Today reading about the factory workers in Chicago protesting the loss of their jobs, I really started wondering if this is the next evolution in the way we see businesses competeing in the global market place. Let me explain. From the article that I read on Yahoo, it stated that -

JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to contribute $400,000 to Chicago’s Republic Windows & Doors LLC.

So what is so uncommon about this? Well atleast up ’til now we have seen large numbers like this fly across headlines almost daily, millions, billions, these numbers are so large that individuals really don’t need to concern themselves with them. But here is the difference about this, the reason this company was forced to close down and give their employees only three days notice is because Bank Of America, a competitor of Chase bank, would not grant the company the credit it needed to keep its doors open (no pun intended).

$400,000 is not that large of a sum for companies of this size, however what Chase Bank just did was marketing genius. Essentially, they purchased a $400,000 ad spot that reached every newspaper and news website’s homepage. The message was, “hey look at us, we are so stable that we can afford to help make a happy holiday for the ex-employees of a company our competitor forced to shut down.” They look like a hero in the financial mess that our country and the world is in. Even in their press release they state that they do not expect any of this contibution to return to them. However, it will. It will in the 250 employees of Republic Windows and Doors who have now just switched banks to the one who just gave them an extra paycheck. It will in the hundreds more who are in fear of their own banks closing and are in search of stability. It will in the thousands more who are hoping for a lottery style payout from Chase.

Has the old beast of marketing stategy and creative advertising finally been killed by the simple buying of customers?