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~Endearing Jewelry Design & Metalsmithing by Jennifer Dewey Designs ~ Handwrought and Handcast with a Passion For Gems, Metalsmithing, and Studio Jewelry Design ~For Present and Future Generations~ Made in Colorado - USA
Thank you for visiting my little "mountain top jewelry shop"... I'm currently making one of a kind (ooak) studio jewelry pieces with my favorite gems and precious finds from recent adventures... utilizing chasing, repousse, casting, forging, unique textures and experimental techniques... plus a growing line of my most loved production pieces:
...from my Telluride - Mountain Village Gondola Charms, Gemstone Acorn Pendants, Stacking Handwrought Bangles, Gemstone Tuxedo Studs, Custom Engagement Rings, Bridal Hair Ornaments, Custom Wedding Bands, Stackable Gemstone Rings and more.
Inspired by all that live in harmony with their surroundings... from the patina of New Orleans' Spanish wrought iron, to the near-symmetry of acorns and aspen leaves... the full white sails of a Mediterranean sailboat, to the mountains which hug my village... the antlers on a Rocky Mountain bull elk, to the sound and texture created by my hammer striking an anvil... My love of travel, science, nature, and symbolism greatly influence and challenge my jewelry designs and choice of materials.
Hand fabrication (handmade), lost wax casting, chasing, repousse, forging, setting colorful gems and objects of nature... these are my primary jewelry making methods, at this time. Since many designs may be customized (size, gemstone, etc.), please allow up to 3 weeks for delivery of most orders. Feel free to request a rush order - an additional charge may apply.
email@example.com 970.519.0021 __________________________________________________________________
For Our Precious Planet EARTH:
- All designs are primarily made with recycled and reclaimed noble metals (gold, silver & platinum) ... with hope for reducing the burden of mining upon our planet. Along with a consortium of art jewelers and Ethical Metalsmiths Org., I am working towards sourcing fair-mined / fair-trade artisan gold... where the treatment of miners, community and natural environment are aligned with fair-trade principles.
- I promote and practice environmentally conscious studio practices, learning more every day.
- I am also interested in fair-trade practices in the industry as they develop... sourcing ethically mined, conflict-free, precious gemstones and diamonds.
Please feel free to contact me for a free initial design consultation over the phone... You may also call me to order directly... or order securely here via credit card/debit card or check - via PayPal or Google Wallet. I will always strive to confirm your order within 24 hours... and to ensure you are 100% satisfied with your purchase.
I'm most grateful for your interest in, and support of, my art...
Thanking You,
Jennifer Dewey
Jennifer Dewey - Jewelry Design & Metalsmithing
All Jewelry Designed and Made in Colorado (USA) by Jennifer Dewey
Fine Art Jewelry Designer | Custom Jewelry | Award Winning Jewelry | Acorn and Oak Leaf Jewelry |
If you have questions or comments, feel free to email me or call my studio:
firstname.lastname@example.com (970)519-0021.
All artwork, designs, photos & copy 2000-2013 owned by
Jennifer A. Dewey, unless otherwise credited.
All Intellectual Property & Copyrights Protected and Reserved
by Federal and State Laws.


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Monday, January 18, 2010
© Copyright 2014 Newton Citizen
Dr. Beth McElhenny, right, of Oak Hill Animal Hospital presents food, equipment and a check for $300 raised for the care of needy animals during the Christmas season to Newton County Humane Society President Betty Belairs. Clients of the hospital, located at 5274 Ga. Highway 20, S., donated $150 in cash as well as supplies and the hospital matched the funds. "It warms the heart to see the generosity of animal lovers, especially in hard times," McElhenny said. "We wanted to provide a special service to the community over the Christmas season and we were tremendously pleased with the response. I hope to make it an annual project." Anyone who may want to donate funds to needy animals can do so by contacting Newton County Animal Control for a copy of their "wish list," or by bringing the items to the Oak Hill Animal Hospital during normal business hours.
More like this story
- Letter: Donations for needy animals appreciated ( January 31, 2013 )
- Newton County vet student raises funds to buy pet oxygen masks ( November 22, 2012 )
- Newton County Humane Society donates to NCSO K-9 Unit ( May 14, 2013 )
- Newton schools collect canned goods for holidays ( November 3, 2011 )
- Events 12-15-07 ( December 15, 2007 )

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Cinnamon Charged Hot TamalesSpicy Cinnamon Hot Tamales. It maybe cool today, but it'll be Hot Tamale. Chew candy capsules withe a bright red color!Bag contains 4.5 Lb. of Haribo Hot Tamales Chew Candy.There are approximately 225 pices per pound.Fat Free ~ Gluten Free.Made in the USA.Also available by the 9 Lb. Case >> Wholesale! Get More, Pay Less!
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On an episode of the nationally syndicated daytime talk show "Katie," which aired Wednesday, Jan. 15, WWE superstar John Cena discussed health and fitness with host and well-known American television journalist Katie Couric.
Cena, who is preparing for WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Sunday, Jan. 26, shared some tricks to staying fit and in shape.
Video clips with John Cena on "Katie"
• "Katie" airs in national syndication http://katiecouric.com/station-finder/ or check your local listings for times and channels.


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Botanical Name: Vitis vinifera Ingredients: VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) SEED OIL, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E). Safety Notes: Caution: For external use only.
Directions Use as desired for massage or skin care. Store tightly in a cool, dry place. Suggested Uses: Use as a massage, skin care or bath oil.
Warnings: Keep out of reach of children. As with all dietary supplements, consult your healthcare professional before use. See product label for more information.


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C = Commercial Edition or a Commercial Account (234 effects)
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Advanced Effect Maker 2.5 Beta 1 released
A new version of Advanced Effect Maker with the Visual Applet Configurator (2.5 Beta 1) was released with powerful new features like the image reduction system and effect of the moment! Also, with the Commercial and Hobby Editions now have new JQuery JavaScript effects powered with the VAC's UNIQUE button generator. Click here to download it! Checkout the other new features in the new VAC 2.5 Beta 1!
Advanced Effect Maker Commercial Edition download links sent
Commercial Edition and Hobby Edition Effect Maker users should have received their download links to the new Effect Maker version. Contact us at support if you didn't get a link, especially AOL e-mails have been a problem.
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Fondue Picante
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
- 1-1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 oz. (1/2 stick) butter
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 1 Tbsp. adobo liquid from canned chile chipotles in adobo sauce or to taste
- 2 cups (8 oz.) Asiago cheese, shredded
- 1-1/4 cups (about 8 oz.) Wisconsin Limburger cheese, crumbled
- 2 cups (8 oz.) Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- 2 cups (8 oz.) Smoked Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), toasted, optional
- Corn chips
- Fried corn tortilla wedges
- Boiled potato skewers
- Chorizo skewers
- Cubed pepper bread
In a heavy sauce pan, scald milk and cream (heated just below 212ºF boiling point).
Melt butter in a seperate heavy 2-quart saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook over low heat for about 2 - 3 minutes, being careful not to scorch. Gradually add milk and cream to flour mixture, stirring until smooth. Over low heat, begin adding cheese, blending until smooth before adding additional. Pour into fondue pot or serve in holllowed-out pumpkin for special touch. Sprinkle with pepitas. For dipping, choose corn chips, fried corn tortilla wedges, boiled potato skewers, chorizo skewers or cubed rustic pepper bread.


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The Spring bridal season is upon us and it's out with the old and in with the new. FOX 2 partnered up with Metro Detroit Bride Magazine to get the scoop on the new trends from rings and dresses, to cakes and flowers.
Click the video player to see more and use the links below to visit web sites mentioned during the story.Online:romasposa.comtappers.comwww.blossomsbirmingham.comwww.loveandbuttercream.com
WJBK-TV | Fox 2 16550 West Nine Mile Rd.Southfield, MI 48075Main Station: (248) 557-2000Newsroom: (248) 552-5103


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// Advertise // Om Creative Services // Links // © Om Entertainment Group 2009 //
Om alumni, Dave Pezzner, just dropped his debut solo album on Jimpster's Freerange Records. Titled, "The Tracks Are Alive", the album is a deep / dub house gem. Each track is memorable and DJ friendly, with deep build ups and breakdowns.
Although the sound is very much, Pezzner, you can hear elements of his funky house influence as well (many may not know that Dave was half of funky house artist, Jacob London). Listen to one of the standout tracks below featuring vocals from Larissa Kapp.
Click here to download a free podcast from Pezzner @ Kontrol in San Francisco.
Click here to purchase Pezzner "The Tracks Are Alive" From iTunes.
Listen: Pezzner "Find Me"
Posted in: Free Downloads


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Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
As you might have noticed, the high school football preview articles have not been posted online.
I'm told the PD Preps web site is getting a facelift, thus the lack of new content.
But fear not. Don't despair. They should be online by Thursday night.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:


text:
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Returning SWG to PRE-NGE
The basic reason for this Petition is to find out how many people really want the SWG brought back to PRE-NGE status. When Enough Signatures are made We will submit the link to SOE/LA. Please only sign if Reverting the SWG code would make you re-submit your account. With this the Idea is hopefully SOE will at least put up maybe 10 PRE-NGE Servers allowing those who want to play on them to copy thier Characters over. We are not asking for any upgrades other than bug fixes on these servers. Just the Servers.
No comments yet.join the discussion
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Here we go again.
In a year without elections, politics still rears its ugly head. During budget season, it can get uglier and uglier.
Anderson City Council President David Eicks doesn't like Mayor Kevin Smith's budget proposal for the coming year, so he delays a public hearing. Smith, not above playing politics, then accuses Eicks of breaking a state law that dictates the timing of announcements of public hearings.
C'mon, guys! This is serious business, not some game of political football. We're talking about millions of dollars in taxpayer money and how it will be spent.
Now, Eicks and Smith might argue that this is precisely the point they're trying to make. They both could contend that they have the best interests of Anderson citizens in mind.
Maybe so. But it sure looks like their main objective is to get their way — and to make the other guy look bad.
Kevin Smith has been a good mayor. He's a good planner, has a clear vision of what success looks like and goes about his job with earnest, steady effort. But he's never been very good at collaborating with those who oppose him politically or those who question his strategies and tactics.
David Eicks is a smart guy. Talk to him for 15 minutes, and you'll be convinced of it. But he can come off as selfish and manipulative, particularly when it comes to working with — or not working with — Smith.
Don't get us wrong. When it comes to budget time, the mayor and the president of the city council should stand up for what they believe in, what's best for the city.
But they've got to work together, find common ground, negotiate, include each other in formulating the budget. Otherwise, the recent nonsense is a fait accompli.


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For Immediate Release
Girl Scout Night with the Houston Rockets Teaches Local Girls About Professional Basketball
Houston Comet Tammy Jackson to Speak to Local Girl Scouts before Game Tip Off
(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Houston, January 26, 2001) Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council (GSSJC) will be in the house at Compaq Center to see the Houston Rockets battle the Vancouver Grizzlies on Friday, January 26 at 6:15 p.m.
Houston Comet Tammy Jackson will address local Girl Scouts, offering pointers on basketball and the game of life, while she signs autographs prior to game tip off at 7:30 p.m. This is the first such collaboration between the Houston Rockets organization and GSSJC. "We hope to expand upon this event and do ever bigger and better events with both the Rockets and Comets," says GSSJC Program Manager Carin Crowe. GirlSports, the Girl Scout Sport Initiative, has encouraged 114,000 Girl Scouts in 298 Councils, including San Jacinto, to pursue the sport of their dreams. Crowe, who administers GirlSports for the San Jacinto Council, says the program grows the confidence level of girls during the 'tween' years of eight to 12. "Our GirlSports program is providing hundreds of girls the opportunity to learn about all aspects of different sports, like tennis, golf, hockey, and yes, basketball…girls can do anything, and our Girl Scouts are living proof," she adds.
Participating Girl Scouts will receive a specially designed patch with purchase of game tickets. Non-Girl Scouts are welcome to attend. For ticket information, call 713-627-DUNK.
Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council serves 50,000 girls and 13,000 adults in 21 east and southeast Texas counties. For information about joining Girl Scouts, call 1-800-392-4340 and ask for Membership. Visit us online at www.gssjc.org.
GSSJC Pluralism Statement
Embracing and promoting pluralism is an integral part of every activity and plan of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, not disconnected or separate projects. Only individuals willing to accept and be educated about the basic tenet that Girl Scouting is for all girls may serve in volunteer leadership or staff positions.
Girl Scouts of
San Jacinto Council l
Brand Management & Fund Development Department
3110 Southwest Freeway l Houston, TX 77098


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As of Tuesday, January 15, 2013
© Copyright 2014 Gwinnett Daily Post
LAWRENCEVILLE — Gwinnett County police had a brush with a man who, along with his 5-year-old son, has been reported missing from Iowa — now they're trying to help track him down again.
Jeremiah Eldon Johnson, 33, was pulled over Friday morning in Buford after allegedly running a red light. Johnson reportedly produced his driver's license and the Gwinnett County officer returned to his vehicle to run the information, police spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said.
"A hit" returned showing the Johnson was missing from Des Moines, Iowa, along with his 5-year-old son, Johnnathan.
"The hit also indicated that Mr. Johnson is possibly suicidal and homicidal and disappeared with his son during a custody dispute with the child's biological mother," Smith said.
When the police officer again approached the vehicle — a silver, 2003 Volkswagen Passat with Iowa plate number 608ZDB — Johnson refused to get out of the car.
"Mr. Johnson refused to get out of the vehicle and sped off with the son still in the car," Smith said. "The officer gave chase in his vehicle but maintained a safe distance from the suspect vehicle knowing that a child was in the car. The officer lost contact with the vehicle on Buford Dam Rd. as it entered into Forsyth County."
Over the weekend, authorities in Jackson County believe they found Johnson's personal belongings in their jurisdiction.
Police are "concerned" for the well-being of the father and son, Smith said.
"Its unknown why Mr. Johnson abandoned all his property but it's theorized that he may act on his suicidal (or) homicidal thoughts or is attempting to start a new identity with his son," Smith said.
The elder Johnson is described as 5-foot-9, 230 pounds with blonde hair and green eyes. The suspect vehicle has a carrier attached to its rear, which extends out approximately three feet.
There are "handwritten writings about the exterior of the vehicle," police said. One said "9/11 Veteran."
Anyone with information is asked call 911 or Gwinnett County police at 770-515-5000.
Smith said local officials attempted to issue a Levi's Alert and Amber Alert, but were unable to because "the circumstances did not fit the parameters set by the state."
More like this story
- Suspect wanted in Gwinnett dies in crash ( February 16, 2013 )
- Nation briefs ( June 14, 2008 )
- County sets new homicide record ( December 27, 2006 )
- Doraville woman found dead in car ruled suicide ( August 29, 2006 )
- Deceased couple in murder-suicide identified ( April 28, 2014 )
Kat 1 year, 7 months ago
The child is in danger so post the damn alert. I am sure someone in power can authorize that.


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Customer Reviews
- Review by Simone Van Iderstine
I had been spinning for several years on a drop spindle and when I bought my wheel I needed a little help getting to know how to use it. This video was a great primer! It took me quickly and easily through the process of getting spinning on my wheel. I also loved how Maggie outlined common problems and how to fix or avoid them. I would highly recommend this to anyone just getting started spinning on a wheel.
(Posted on 1/7/11)


text: Are those chest pains a possible heart attack? Increasingly, patients who show up in the ER with complaints that can't be quickly or conclusively diagnosed are being shifted them to observation units that keep them an average of 15 hours. Emory University's Dr. Michael Ross and WSJ's Laura Landro discuss on Lunch Break. Photo: Brigham and Womens Hospital.


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Town Square
El Balazo Closed
Original post made by sandy n. on Mar 12, 2010
Comments (8)
on Mar 13, 2010 at 5:46 pm
oh my...
on Mar 13, 2010 at 9:56 pm
I thought they just opened the Mama Rosa restaurant by Trader Joe's. I was told the El Balazo owners own it.
on Mar 14, 2010 at 6:54 am
OMG! My favorite place to get my nails done closed and they didn't contact me, either! Sandy, would you please find out where they live, too? Cuz that's totally not even creepy! :-)
on Mar 14, 2010 at 12:55 pm
legally bland - my point posting their address (which is public record) is because this house is a monstrocity and you can see they have pumped millions of dollars inside and out...yet their not paying their sales tax to the state or their employees...I guess they think they are better than the rest of us.
on Mar 17, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I talked to a worker at Mama Iosa and she told me there is no change there and that the Pleasanton El Ballzos have reopened.
on Mar 17, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Yeah the location on Hopyard Rd is open although looks to be very disorganized...
on Mar 21, 2010 at 10:10 am
Hey Sandy N !
Where do YOU live? What neighborhood do YOU live in? Come on. Tell us. It's "PUBLIC RECORD" - like the property tax rolls. You're in the phone book. Your name is in the school phonebook. So why not tell us?
You told us the address of the owners of the restaurant that just declared bankruptcy. You pointed a finger at them and encouraged disgruntled people to check out their home - where they live with their children. Did you want people to look on the internet, or to actually go there in person? You gave directions so I guess you wanted people who are upset at them to go there in person to the home where they live with their children. Should that mob take gasoline? ...or do you want them to just point and yell and terrorize the old folks and the children who are home with words? Are you sure?
So where do you live? Is it not very nice? Are you jealous of the nice home that the owners of a chain of restaurants built when they thought they could afford to live there?
What is your deal?
Bitter? Resentful? Or do you just like to point an angry mob at someone's family for fun?
on Mar 24, 2010 at 1:17 pm
How do you guys think that the owners of a popular mexican restaurant, who obviously dont do things by the book, suddenly have the recipes and knowhow of an Italian pizza and pasta restaurant in their son's name? Well, They stole it.
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Understanding Early Decision in College Admissions
By Elizabeth LaScala | 1 comment | 2,354 views
New heights for NIMBYs
By Tim Hunt | 32 comments | 1,526 views
Weekly, TV30 to host Pleasanton mayoral, city council candidates' forum
By Gina Channell-Allen | 2 comments | 1,121 views


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Richmond braced for northern invasion (From Kingston Guardian)
Contact us: Got a photo? Text SLPICS to 80360, click to upload your story or call 020 8744 4244
Richmond braced for northern invasion
7:30am Saturday 5th May 2012 in Richmond By Stuart Amos
Director of rugby Steve Hill has warned Richmond will be more than ready for the northern invasion of London today.
While Chelsea face Liverpool in the FA Cup final at Wembley, Hill's men take on the Wirral's National Division Three North runners-up Caldy for the right to play in National Division Two next season.
It is the biggest game in the club's recent history at it continues its climb back to the upper echelons of the English game from their demotion to Herts & Middlesex Division One in 2000.
Athletic Ground co-tenants London Scottish have completed a similar journey and last month secured Championship survival with a try bonus-point defeat to relegated Esher in front of more than 2,000 fans.
Hill is hoping a similar figure will back his men to the hilt as they go in search of National Division One rugby for the first time since the club was saved by – among others – late former chairman David Corben, who died last year.
Corben was part of a consortium that fought off the financial advances of then Chelsea chairman Ken Bates, who wanted to turn the club's home ground in to a training complex for the Premiership giants.
And Hill, pictured left, has insisted his men were only too aware of the magnitude of the match that faced them.
"This is the highest the club has finished since returning to the leagues and we know we have the squad and facilities to play at the next level," he said.
"It has to be the biggest game in the club's history since it was last at this level in 1995. It is the end of a long season for the players but they know it will mean an awful lot to a lot of people if they were to get back up to level three.
"The aim at the beginning of the season was to be in a position to push for promotion. We are in a position to do that and all we have to do now is make sure we win.
"I hope it doesn't come down to an interception try – like it did for London Scottish – but we hope to have similar support.
"We will respect the opposition, but will try to play the way we have all season and hopefully we'll get to where we want to be."
Where Richmond want to be is National Division One and Hill is confident that should his squad get there, they would cope with the step up.
"When you look at our starting pack the average age is 24," he added.
"As coach that says to me that we are only going to get better."


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- About
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Human Resources
Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four year liberal arts college with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith.
Visit our employment page to look at current openings at Sterling College.
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Sterling College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. Persons having inquiries concerning the College's compliance with Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, Clery Act, ADA, and the Age Discrimination Act may contact the Vice President for Student Life or the Chief Financial Officer, Sterling College, Sterling, Kansas 67579, (620) 278-2173.
Clery Act Notification
As provided by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998, prospective employees of Sterling College are entitled to request and receive a copy of the SC Security Report in the Student Life Office or by calling 620-248-4218. The SC Security Report can be accessed http://www.sterling.edu/safety-security. This report includes crime statistics on certain reportable crimes, as well as Sterling College's Safety and Security Policies. The Policies cover alcohol and drug use, crime reporting and prevention, sexual assault, and other related matters.
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Sterling College has a policy of equal access for all persons seeking admission to the college or employment on its staff. This policy is consistent with the goals of strengthening both the reality and the perception of the college and its mission.
The policy of equal access:
1. applies to all persons, without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, handicap, marital status or sex, except where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification;
2. applies equally to all job classifications, whether full-time or part-time;
3. governs all college employment policies, practices, and actions, including but not necessarily limited to recruitment, employment, rate of pay or other compensation, advancement, promotion, demotion, termination, and employee benefits of whatever nature.
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All Faculty/Staff ending their employment from Sterling College are required to go through an exit interview process. Part of this process includes the submission of an exit interview form. For those individuals preferring to fill out the exit interview form online and submit electronically, click here.
Sterling College is dedicated to making our campus safe for all students. SC's is committed to keep each student safe and informed. If you have been sexually assaulted or a victim of sexual violence, we urge you to reach out to a counselor for emotional support and get medical care. Learn more.


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Horoscopes - Lucky Lotto Numbers
You've got lucky numbers according to astrology. What you do with them is really your own karmic business.
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Lucky Lotto Numbers
This page is a lucky number find. It has a palette of tools including astrology, numbers, and dreams.


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Town Square
Latin Language Instruction
Original post made by interested in Latin on Mar 25, 2007
on Mar 25, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Castilleja offers Latin - perhaps they would have some guidance for you.
on Mar 25, 2007 at 9:43 pm
What about some of the colleges or local Catholic schools?
on Mar 26, 2007 at 10:58 am
Great question. Gunn used to offer Latin - I took two years (OK, years ago). I think it was worthwhile. I was surprised that Paly doesn't offer it. I suggest you recommend it to the BoE and IS for World Languages (Norm Masuda). My kids would take it (if it were implemented before they graduate) and I know others would, too. Plus I know there is a wonderful activity you hear about periodically for high school students who study Latin - a kind of 'Latin Olympiad' regional event/competition featuring public oration.


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Available Projects
I.m having one of those days...got a call last night from a PO customer...one of the guys, installed a k-sink faucet. but left the sprayer hose wrapped around the supply piping ...so....when you pull the sprayer up
it does not come up....%^^$#@$%^^&&*
you really installed a faucet and did not ck it to see if it worked???? how about i give you a paycheck, and do not see if there is anything in the bank to cover it???????????
blood pressure at defcon 3 this am....be ok around 7am....coffee...need coffee....
singing dawgThis message has been edited. Last edited by: Frodo,
Hey, Frodo, you came to the right place to get some support. Sometimes what people do makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Are you feeling better now? How many cups of coffee did it take? I assume you added something a little stronger as well, just for the flavor, of course?
Wish I could think of a funny story to share or one of the many examples I've encountered of people who don't follow up on their work. That's why companies hawk teamwork so much - the better workers end up covering for the lazy ones.
Maybe spend a day outside in your garden, by your lily pond, or in your deer blind and let nature offer some calm.
And if it makes you feel better, have something decadent...like chocolate...like chocolate mousse.
im ok,,,just venting..sometimes its better to vent here than on somsbody...everybody makes mistakes..
i know what happened...5 pm, and i wanna go home
thats what happened..
came to a decision
gonna close the doors...cant afford the insurance
not going to work 20 hours a week..cant afford to work 40...
unless i do it all under the table, pay cash,
aint that some chit, in order to stay in business i gotta break the law
what the rest of you guys gonna do?
Frodo - I know it often sucks but there's always a way to make it happen. Sometimes it's growing your company bigger but more often the key is going back to the basics that you know will work. There is always the chance that you'll have bad customers, bad employees or bad projects - I suspect that you have been around long enough to have a gut feeling as to the bad stuff.
So the simple advice is: Listen to your gut. Taylor what you do - either the type of jobs or the clients that you agree to work for. If you do hire employees, be selective there too. Choose people who you would be comfortable with working in your own home. Pay them a wage they can live with - just like you need something that is 'more than just a job' so do they. To manage to pay for all that, charge what you are really worth, set your fees to be compensated for being good at your job and doing it well. Sure, you'll lose some jobs to lower bidders, but when some of those same jobs go wrong then that lost client may come back to you. In the long run a company that has a reputation of doing things correctly and fairly will get much more business than the low bidders.
Easy, right? Not at all, it's really, really hard. Sometimes you can do everything right and yet the end result is still all wrong. The key is to stick to what you know works. If that is too limiting to make a living then carefully expand in to other areas. Just keep things to a size that you can control.
Good luck. Ask anything.
Frodo...remembering your post on converting your mother's living room to a bedroom....are you taking care of her and trying to work as well?
If you are, be prepared to encounter a lot of frustration, conflict, feeling overwhelmed and other feelings. What you may feel now wouldn't necessarily be reflective of what you would feel without the caregiving responsibilies (assuming you're still handling them.)
And one of the biggest feelings of conflict and commitment relates to balancing work and caring for someone - sometimes it just seems too much to do everything that's facing you.
Take a day off tomorrow and spend some time doing something in nature - go fishing, pick flowers, or better yet, do some cooking which you apparently really enjoy. Just don't think about working.
Hope you feel better after some respite.This message has been edited. Last edited by: GardenSprite,
think Bambi. it's that time of year. had to stop on the way to work for a flock of wild turkeys crossing the road, 10 of them.
dock the installer for half the job time, and he/she/it will remember to check next assignment.
they call it "work" because it ain't a party. used to be 12 years ago I had to beg people to wake me up when a big trunk in our non-traditional service areas (out-of-region) went down and the national Internet companies lost customers by the bushel.
and oh, how they called. I would be dialled into some 1200-mile distant switch with one modem, dialled into the office on the other, and working a tech with the cell phone while working the customer call on the home phone. for hours. past 2 am.
until the next call.
sig: if this is a new economy, how come they still want my old-fashioned money?
wishfull thinking...can't do that...wage and labor board rules.. been there, done that...got my pee pee slapped
legally, cant do anything...except fire them..
wage and labor board says if they were on the clock, they have to be paid...does not matter if they were not doing there job. you can write an employee up. but you can not deduct there pay, for any reason. if they wreck a truck. and its there fault. you pay the deductible not them.if they break something..you pay..
AND...if you DO hold out of there ck, any money..it will cost you around 2k....plus the money you helt
happened to me over a 500 dollar deductible on a truck that an idiot wrecked..racing another truck
he got the ticket, clearly his fault
i held out the 500 bucks.and got sued..and lost
i am talking hourly employee, not contract labor
altho,This message has been edited. Last edited by: Frodo,
sigh. guess you gotta keep on keeping on, then.
sig: if this is a new economy, how come they still want my old-fashioned money?
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Conversations with Cal Poly Authors: Jody Lisberger with Debra Valencia-Laver
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Join us to discuss Jody Lisberger's book Remember Love published by Fleur-de-Lis Press. Jody Lisberger will be joined by Debra Valencia-Laver in conversation.
From Amazon:
Jody Lisberger's provocatively titled story collection will make readers wonder just how and when they should 'remember love.' As trauma, as what persists, as what confines, as what liberates, as what disappoints, as what we live for? And what shapes do our loves assume in all their infinite variety? Not only the human content but the aesthetic of these accomplished stories makes them worthy of profound attention. –Sena Jeter Naslund, Editor, Fleur-de-Lis Press
Read a sample of the book or read one (or both!) of Jody's short stories: In the Mercy of Water in Fugue and Crucible in Michigan Quarterly Review.
Coffee and light refreshments will be served. There will be lots of time for questions!
About the Author
Jody Lisberger is an associate professor and director of the Gender and Women's Studies Program at University of Rhode Island. She received the Susan Currier Visiting Professorship for Teaching Excellence from Cal Poly for 2013-2014. Jody received her doctorate in English from Boston University, a master of fine arts in writing from Vermont College, and a master's in English with distinction from Boston College. Read more about Jody and her work.
About the Guest
Debra Valencia-Laver is an associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and a professor in the Psychology & Child Development Department. She earned her master's and doctorate at Claremont Graduate University. Her teaching and research areas are in aging and cognition, with her most recent work looking at the efficacy of senior peer counseling. In her spare time she enjoys reading and hiking.


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Capital Eye Opener, Dec. 14: Corker Ends Season With Most Leftovers, Koch Industries' Lobbying on Pace to Surpass Last Year's Level, and More,
December 14, 2012
Sen. Bob Corker finishes his race with a tidy $6.3 million in the bank -- though that's still a far cry from Sen. Richard Shelby's 2010 record of $17 million.
Delivering Postal Reform
April 12, 2012
Congress may stir up a hornet's nest in the next few weeks when it takes up the matter of overhauling the postal service. The issue has brought out an array of special interests, including lobbyists for the envelope industry.
E-Filing Campaign Finances Remains a Rarity for Senators
February 1, 2012
In this Internet Age, 81 senators have Twitter accounts for lightning-fast communication. Yet only a handful of them typically file their campaign finance reports electronically.
Tea Party House Members Even Wealthier Than Other GOP Lawmakers
January 4, 2012
Their politics may differ, but both the Tea Party and the Occupy movement have claimed to represent the interests of the middle class. Neither the members of the House Tea Party Caucus nor those of the House Progressive Caucus, whose views most closely align with the Occupy Wall Street movement, are close to being middle class, but Tea Party Caucus is especially wealthy, according to the Center's research.
Few Senators Voluntarily Fast-Track Fund-Raising Disclosure
October 27, 2011
Only a handful of U.S. senators voluntarily chose to fast-track their third-quarter campaign finance records to the public by electronically filing their reports with the Federal Election Commission.
OpenSecrets.org Informs Congressional Debates
September 14, 2011
Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., routinely rely on the Center for Responsive Politics to inform the conversation on some of the hottest topics and high-profile policy fights.
Few Senators File Fund-Raising Reports Electronically
July 15, 2011
A handful of U.S. senators have electronically filed their second quarter fund-raising numbers -- even though Senate campaign committees remain the only federal political committees not required to do so.
One-Fifth of Senate Gets Filing Extension for Personal Financial Disclosure Reports
June 15, 2011
One-fifth of the senate, or 20 members, according to a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics, have filed for extensions, meaning the financial disclosures won't be released until later this summer.
Bernie Sanders' Tax Targets, Wisconsin Money Madness and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 30
March 30, 2011
Earlier this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) urged his colleagues to support new legislation to close "corporate tax loopholes." As part of his pitch, Sanders highlighted the 10 "worst corporate income tax avoiders" -- many of which are among the biggest spenders when in comes to lobbying in the nation's capital, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Where's the Sunshine on Senate Campaign Finance Reports?
March 18, 2011
In late January, first-term Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) called on the Interior Department to allow a regulated wolf hunt in Montana. A few days later, he urged Taco Bell to use Montana beef in its restaurants. In between, Tester introduced S. 219, the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act. The measure would require senators and U.S. Senate candidates to file their campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission -- electronically.
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Posts tagged return on influence
Klout Founder says Lithium deal will propel new development
Mar 28th
Yesterday Lithium announced it had acquired Klout for nearly $200 mm in cash and stock, closing the door on the "start-up" chapter of Klout's six-year history.
Klout Founder Joe Fernandez spoke to me shortly after the public announcement and discussed his emotional journey in founding a company, fighting for funding and legitimacy, building an enterprise, and finally positioning his life's work for a new era of growth.
Whether you love Klout or hate the idea of social influence metrics, the story of Klout's unlikely start and ultimate financial victory is fascinating.
As a special bonus to {grow} readers, following the interview with Joe, you'll find a free excerpt from Return On Influence with the story of how a first-generation Cuban immigrant went from selling CDs in his college dorm room to becoming America's newest multi-millionaire.
This interview was conducted about four hours after the Lithium announcement was made official.
Schaefer: Are you exhausted right now?
Fernandez: Definitely. Exhausted and exhilarated. This was an intense process and an intense decision. But I also feel a tremendous amount of excitement about what is ahead. With the opportunity ahead of us, I am tired at the moment but totally re-invigorated and happy.
Schaefer: In all my years in business, I have never met a person more focused and passionate about making a company come to life than you. I have to imagine there are a lot of emotions going on for you today as your baby is adopted by another company.
Fernandez: Having something you have worked on for so long be valued by the outside world is certainly very rewarding for all of us who fought through this whole process.
I feel an intense amount of gratitude to the team, even the haters out there who helped turn Klout into a better company. And of course for our customers and our millions of supporters — we have become a world brand because they cared so much about the company.
I have mixed emotions after such an intense process. Really, my emotions have been swinging hour by hour.
Schaefer: You've had an incredible opportunity to personally nurture your business idea for six years. How is Klout different today than what you first envisioned? In other words, what is the most surprising aspect of the company you could not have foreseen when you started out?
Fernandez: I never, ever imagined the horizon of opportunity that was set before us,
When I started out, I thought my idea could help people make some sense of social media. I figured at some point we would have 10 people working for us and then maybe Twitter would acquire us.
But today we are a worldwide brand and now associated with a company about to be part of an IPO. We have come a long, long way.
The idea that we could be part of a system now with a real possibility of changing the way consumers and brands interact with each other on a massive scale is beyond anything I could have imagined just a few years ago.
Schaefer: The inherent value of Klout is its ability to provide a relative measure of a person's ability to move content. A blunt instrument, but obviously useful in some cases. You once stated a vision of a Klout that connected the dots on dozens of content platforms but that effort stalled. For example, any consideration of self-hosted blog content is absent from the Klout equation … that limits the scope and usefulness of the measure. With the new resources at your disposal will you get that back on track?
Fernandez: We have always had a desire for data dominance, to pull data from many, many sources — wherever these important conversations might be. We have not diverted from that long-term vision but we had to re-prioritize within the context of our path and the limited resources that we had. At some point you need to balance pure research with commercial interests.
The deal with Lithium is exciting because we now have the legroom to fulfill that vision and really build a holistic view of who a person is across a wider span of communities.
Schaefer: Do you have regrets along the way?
Fernandez: Oh yes of course. There are a million little things I could have done better. Like most entrepreneurs, I'm hardest on myself.
This was my first time really managing a business of any kind, at any level. I was struggling to learn everything. Literally everything. As a start-up you pretty much have to have your hand in everything and I didn't know everything! There were painful lessons every day. I learned fast but of course I could have been better in practically every area in some way.
Schaefer: When companies go through growing pains like that, a founder will often bring in a more experienced executive to lead the company through its growth phase. Did you ever wonder if you were the right leader for Klout as it began to grow?
For me, this has never been about me being a CEO to fill out a resume. This journey has been about only one thing — fulfilling the vision, whatever it takes. To be successful, you have to put your ego aside.
Throughout this process I had periods of self-reflection when I tried to determine if we had the right pieces in place to fulfill the vision, and questioned everything, including my role at the company.
I determined that yes, I was the best person to lead this company for one reason: I am the person on this earth with the most passion to fight through everything and make it work. I have the passion. I am am the right person.
But this was an on-going dialogue, an active decision re-visited through each stage of the company's growth. This was never about having five or six good years, it was about staying true to the vision and building a company that lasts.
Schaefer: Six years ago you were manually calculating Klout scores, sleeping on couches and begging for money from friends to keep your company afloat. As of today, you are a multi-millionaire. What is the first thing you are going to splurge on?
It's really funny to have some money now after all these years. Seriously, I don't even know what to do. I keep thinking that it might be fun to have jet skis. That is the only thing that has popped into my mind.
I'm hoping to take a break soon and travel with my wife. She really deserves it. So we will do some traveling.
I have money but I don't feel that different. I feel just as scrappy. I'm the same person.
BONUS CONTENT – Free excerpt from Return On Influence,
"The story of a start-up"
The idea for the first attempts at a social scoring algorithm can be traced to a bored, frustrated young man sitting for hours on end, playing on his computer, and exploring social media sites … because at that moment in his life, it was the only way he had to communicate with the outside world.
At the age of 17, Joe Fernandez, who was to become the founder of Klout, was suffering from intense head and stomach pains. He was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that could only be resolved by jaw surgery … and literally wiring his mouth shut.
"I put the surgery off for years," Fernandez said. "I waited, hoping technology might get better and there would be like a lotion I could put on or something! But, in 2007, the pain was getting worse and I ended up having the surgery. I thought I could just power through it, but it was pretty hard. In fact it was much harder than I ever imagined. My jaw was wired shut for two months so to communicate, I either had to write stuff down or go on Twitter or Facebook because nobody could understand my mumbling.
"So I had this stir-crazy, drug-induced period of time in my 350-square-foot apartment in New York City. I was thinking about these social media tools I'm using to communicate, which at this point, I am pretty much totally relying on for my life! And that intense experience really changed the way I thought about these tools. I began to notice that the people who trusted me the most would instantly follow what I was saying. I could tell them my opinion and it would have some sort of impact on them.
"The other point that was interesting was that all this data was out there — the fact that Twitter and Facebook had an API and all of these other services had an API was pretty cool to me."
Locked up in his apartment for seemingly endless hours, Fernandez began to plot his ideas on an Excel spreadsheet … every social network he could find, every possible activity on those platforms that might signal influence. He saw patterns in the cells. Connections. And the connections turned into equations.
An idea for a new company, a new way of marketing, was forming in his head, but the concept was really the culmination of a lifetime of entrepreneurial experimentation and failure.
The young entrepreneur
Fernandez grew up in a family that appreciated the value of taking a gamble. His grandfather was a hotel and casino manager in Havana who moved his family to Las Vegas when the Communist Revolution shut down the gambling business in his country. Joe's father continued the family tradition, managing casino properties in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Atlantic City. Young Joe observed his father skillfully courting and befriending big spenders as a marketing manager for Caesar's Palace, a lesson in networking that would be crucial to his development as an entrepreneur who had to call in a lot of favors to help his business survive.
As a teen, Fernandez envisioned a career in the casino business but also had an entrepreneurial bug from an early age. "Even in high school I had a lock on the used video game market," he said. "And in college I marketed music CDs through the players on the football team."
Fernandez attended the University of Miami (FL) but couldn't settle on a career choice. "I changed my major like 20 times," he said. "I finished with an emphasis on economics, finance and computer science, but I never actually graduated. You needed 126 credits and I left with 140 in four years, but it was all over the place because I was always working on some side business and making pretty good money at it, too."
Fernandez had an opportunity to study English and political science at Oxford University for a year before landing his first job in 2000 with a technology consulting firm in Los Angeles. Little did he know that he was on the brink of a serious and extended personal collapse.
Within a few months of beginning his first real job, the white-hot Internet boom turned to bust and Fernandez was among the thousands of eager computer coders and tech consultants looking for work again.
After 10 months, he could not find meaningful work of any kind and took a run at a childhood dream by using his meager savings to start a skateboard company … which failed in short order. His money was running out, he was on the verge of being evicted from his apartment, and his career prospects were bleak. To make ends meet he took an entry-level technical support position. He hated the job, but his life was about to change for good.
Founding his first company
In 2002, Fernandez met a retired psychologist who had an idea to streamline the way that public schools kept up with newly-regulated reporting requirements for students. Fernandez, with the help of a few friends, started a company to build a computer program that would help school districts manage this paperwork-heavy process. As soon as the start-up had its product ready, it landed its first customer – the gigantic San Francisco Unified School District. With that bright start, they could not have foreseen that this would be their last customer, too.
"After that first sale, I really had visions of being a millionaire in a few months," he said. "But we could never sell another system. We couldn't figure out how to deal with the bureaucracy and politics of the school systems. We pushed and pushed for 18 months, boot-strapped it, and used every penny we had, but it became apparent that we weren't going anywhere with this idea."
In the end, the company salvaged its work by licensing the technology to other school system vendors who tracked lunch programs, special education efforts, and other student activities – a system that is still in place and generating revenue across 5,000 U.S. school districts.
Now 25, Fernandez was out of work once more, but had several new weapons in his personal arsenal. He had learned what it was like to bootstrap a new business, lead a team of business partners, deal with the highs and lows of entrepreneurial life, and build a marketable product based on massive amounts of data. And with the school project licensing deal, he finally had a little financial breathing room for his next venture.
With nothing left for him in California, Fernandez decided to follow a lifetime dream and move to New York City. He was soon using his natural networking skills to become part of the city's vibrant tech start-up scene.
"By late 2006, I had a couple of ideas," Fernandez said. "One would have been like a Foursquare/mobile kind of thing. I had another idea around restaurant reviews. I actually went to India, hired a team of developers, and tried building a few ideas on the side, but nothing really stuck."
The Birth of Klout
"Then in 2007, I had the jaw surgery. And my thinking about a new business model started to change a lot.
"I had so much time on my hands in my apartment, and as I experimented with these social media ideas, I started hacking something together that would be the first algorithm for influence. This idea for Klout just stuck with me. That was always the name … Klout. It was more about the idea of quantifying influence than the technology, and I couldn't shake it.
"When I got un-wired, I did some consulting but I was always working on this idea. I guess it became an obsession. I just couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities and realized that this was something I had to do. So in August of 2008, I quit everything I was doing and went all-in on Klout."
His first priority was to find a technical team to activate his idea but he couldn't afford anybody in New York and he couldn't convince any of his friends to quit their job and bootstrap, so he turned to a group of developers in Singapore who had authored some of the software used by the real estate venture.
"They had actually reported to me in another venture and I knew them really well, so I decided to hire those guys to help me with the first version of Klout," he said. "The time difference made it really hard to get anything done so I went to Singapore for several months and crashed at the developer's house and worked in their office whenever I could to help build the first platform for Klout."
In less than six months, the software was ready to go and the first version of Klout was launched on Christmas Eve, 2008.
"It was pretty funny at the time," Fernandez said, "because, if anyone registered I had to manually calculate their score myself! So it was definitely a mess … but people were interested. The moment we launched, I tweeted my score. This caught the attention of some of my friends in New York and it started to catch on among a small but rabid group of fans. To them, Klout was like ego crack.
"Just one week after I launched I was asked to present the idea at an important tech meet-up in New York City. I mean it was kind of ridiculous to have this opportunity right out of the box. What was I going to say? That I had developed an algorithm that's going to decide how important everybody in the world is? How could I possibly say that? I've not achieved anything that would allow me to make a claim like that. There's nothing on my resume that says I'm the one that should be allowed to make that decision.
"So here is what I told the crowd about market influence: Everybody who creates content has influence and with Klout I want to understand who they influence and what they're influential about. It's not about the A-list any more. It's about every person. And that resonated with the people in the audience. Klout was very crude back then – just one page really — but I think they could see the vision that was behind it."
In early 2009, Fernandez returned to Singapore to supervise the next evolution of the product. Accompanying him was his friend Binh Tran, a cofounder on the education software startup, who quit his job to join the Klout venture full-time. Tran became the Chief Technical Officer for Klout and continues to shepherd its development.
Klout on the Ropes
Between sleeping on the floor with his friends in Singapore and bootstrapping the new business from his tiny apartment, Fernandez was able to finance the first 18 months of the venture out of his own pocket. But he would soon need investors if Klout was going to avoid a death spiral. He needed to call on all of his formidable networking skills just to give the company a chance to survive month-to-month.
"It was touch and go for a long time. I couldn't have made it through this period without a lot of help," he said. "The guys in Singapore and the company hosting us trusted me enough that they let us ride on our bills for a really long time. They would threaten to shut us off and I would come up with $10,000 or $20,000 and we'd be cool again. If we would have had to pay them the full amount every month … well, it wouldn't have happened. I had to use all of the social and political capital I had and I spent every penny of the money I had made from both of my previous companies and still, we were barely getting by. So I needed to meet people who could help. I decided that I needed to go to South by Southwest."
South by Southwest (SXSW), the annual tech event in Austin, TX, is considered the World Series of Start-Ups. Tens of thousands of innovators and investors descend on the city each March hoping to be the next big thing – or to discover it. During a stint in Singapore, Fernandez applied for a spot on the one of the highly sought-after Accelerator Programs, where a panel of judges helps find the coolest new start-up or web-based application. The Klout idea was accepted into the showcase. Fernandez was going to have his chance.
"This was a huge deal – an amazing opportunity. We needed this exposure because at that point we had just launched the company and literally had no money– I was begging and borrowing to keep Klout alive.
"I knew that once I got in front of that huge South by Southwest crowd with lots of investors and told them what we were doing, that we would have funding the next day and everything will be perfect from there. So we show up … and we're given the 8 a.m. slot on the very last day. Not a popular time! The whole time I was there, all I did was stay in my hotel room to do coding and practice my two-minute presentation. That's all the time I had to save the company — two minutes! So I had all of this build-up and when I arrived, there were four people in the audience. The microphone wasn't working. And the judges – Guy Kawasaki, Don Dodge, and Nova Spivack – are like … yeah, this is a dumb idea … NEXT. This was going to be our coming out party and … total crickets.
"We were out of money. This is early 2009 and the economy was terrifying. We built our platform initially on Twitter and at that point people are still trying to decide if Twitter is a joke. I'm beginning to wonder — can I really do this?
"As a last-ditch effort, I e-mailed the judges from the South by Southwest session to thank them for their time and their feedback and told them that I hoped we could talk some more sometime soon. Nova Spivack replied to me and said he thought our concept was interesting and offered to buy me coffee if I was ever in San Francisco. I replied back that I was going to be there the next week, even though I had no specific plans to be there. We met and I told him what I was thinking about Klout and what I was working on and he thought it was really cool. He said he wanted to invest … and wrote me a check that day. Our first angel investor! He also introduced me to an attorney to incorporate the company and also had me meet with a second investor. So we had our financing. We could keep going, and slowly begin to grow."
The breakthrough
Money troubles continued to plague the young company despite the welcome infusion of cash. Ten months after the meeting with Spivack, he had no further interest from investors. "We were running on fumes the whole year," Fernandez said.
"I pitched over 100 angel investors and some would say, 'that's a dumb idea, Twitter's going to disappear.' Others would say, 'this is a good idea, you should focus on the data side.' So, I would revise my pitch for the next investor and focus on the data side and then they would say, 'no, you should focus on the advertising piece,' so then my pitch would change for the next presentation.
"I finally decided I needed to focus on my own vision for Klout and I eventually attracted 37 angel investors, which is a lot — I don't know of any start-up that has that many. But we didn't attract any of the big names or these big-shots that other tech companies have as investors. We sort of have this group of random, organic, long-term investors — and we raised $1.5 million. That is what really got us going. We were able to hire a few people and move into an office in San Francisco."
The entrepreneur's networking instincts were keen, even when it came to the location of the new company offices at 795 Folsom Street – the site of Twitter's headquarters.
"With our business model," he said, "it was important to be best friends with the Twitter guys." His theory was that by hanging around with executives at one of the hottest tech companies around, some of the magic could rub off. "I wanted to see who was visiting the Twitter office so I could pounce on them and meet them. And then I would invite them to swing by and visit us next door at Klout."
With an increasing number of fans in high places, the company easily raised another $1.5 million in May of 2010 and seemed to be riding the wave of social media popularity.
"Social media and Twitter blew up and the economy started to get better," he said. "Everyone, it seemed, began to realize that what we were doing might be important and we started to get a lot of attention from the institutional VCs. In December of 2010 we closed on $8.5 million from Kleiner Perkins. Basically they are the Stanford or Harvard of venture capitalists. So to go from no interest in us at all to having the best VC in the world in less than a year was pretty exciting."
The popularity of the Klout system attracted attention from more than venture capitalists, however. Celebrities wanted in on the act as they vied for their own form of social proof and an elite status among the Twitterati.
"We get quite a few e-mails and calls from companies and celebrities trying to raise their score," Fernandez said. "We even got a call from the manager for Britney Spears. That was one of the first moments when it hit me as to where this might be going … the attention we were getting. I received an e-mail from her manager saying he was flying to San Francisco and wanted to meet me. It was a couple of people, him, a lawyer … they came by the office, we went out to lunch … and they really pressed me to know how to raise her Klout score. 'Why is Britney's Klout score lower than Lady Gaga's and Ashton Kutcher's?' This meeting just blew me away. Here was this world-wide celebrity who was aware of her Klout score and wanted to understand it and know how to change it."
"The timing is right for Klout," Fernandez claimed. "The importance of social networking broadly for individuals and companies has reached a tipping point and we are in what I like to think of as an 'attention economy.' With Facebook, people started using their real names and as you start to use your own name online, your personal brand starts to matter. You can build your own influence like never before. All those things started happening around the same time Klout began its social credit score."
In late 2010 the company piloted a monetization program called "Perks," which allowed client companies to offer free gifts, discounts, upgrades and other benefits to influencers by topic. The initiative was incredibly successful, straining the start-up's resources. Klout quadrupled its workforce in 12 months to keep up with demand.
Additional revenue began coming in from the nearly 3,000 API partners including Salesforce.com, The Huffington Post, and Hootsuite. Software programs using the Klout scores as part of their own product offerings make more than 2 billion "calls" to the Klout API every month.
10 Strategies to Battle Content Shock
Mar 17th
In January, I wrote a post called Content Shock which explained that we are entering a new phase in the evolution of content-based marketing. There are primarily two dynamics driving this change:
- The amount of content on the web is literally exploding. By 2020, the amount of web-based information (most of it consumer-driven) is expected to increase by 600%. Think about that for a moment. If you can imagine the vastness of the Internet today, in six years we will have six of those.
- Today an average American spends about 10 hours a day consuming content, a number that has risen steadily year by year. But there is a threshold to the amount of attention we will be able to devote to content, which will further challenge a marketer's ability to get messages through to their audience and stakeholders.
I wrote about a third factor — the development of advanced content filters — as another emerging issue that will make it harder to get our content to emerge as the signal instead of the noise.
My conclusion was that these pressures are bound to thin the herd. Content marketing as we know it will not be a sustainable strategy for some businesses, and it will become more difficult and expensive for almost all of us.
But I concluded this post with a tantalizing question …
Where do we turn to win in an era of Content Shock?
It's hard to deny these facts or the implication that in an eco-system of way too much stuff, SOMETHING is going to have to change. But what?
How do we break through this information density and win in a hyper-competitive content market?
First, I need to emphasize that the affects of this trend are going to vary wildly by industry so this is not necessarily a doom and gloom scenario or the "end of content marketing" as some have contended. I explained that in detail in a follow up post on Arguments Against Content Shock. I also explained that content shock can be seen as a positive for many consumers.
However, many businesses are already struggling with the cost and complexity of competing in a world being covered up in content. Here are brief descriptions of 10 possible strategies to break through.
1) Shock and Awe
The only sustainable content strategy is to find an unsaturated niche and overwhelm the web with so much quality content that search engines only discover you. Effectively, you are creating content shock for your competitors.
You don't necessarily have to be the best content creator if you are in this situation, but you have to be first and overwhelming. This is an uneasy fact we don't often discuss but it is true. The strategy is:
- Find an unsaturated niche.
- Produce a volume of quality, helpful material aimed at relevant platforms.
- Never stop producing content.
Dominating a niche early has extremely important long-term value because the search engines will continue to recognize and reward the authority you accrue. Great content does not rise to the top. Great content from dominant websites with an established audience rises to the top.
2) Content Partnerships
If our "pipeline" to consumers is being strangled, create new content partnerships through innovations such as:
- Brandscaping — Combining audiences by cooperating on co-branded content.
- News jacking — A term coined by David Meerman Scott, newsjacking describes a process to align your brand message with breaking news events so you ride a wave of traditional media coverage.
- Sponsored content — A range of alternatives ranging from paid news placements to paying bloggers for editorial space
- Native advertising — Techniques that embed commercial messages in the editorial copy of news and information channels.
I'm not sure how sustainable these strategies are in the long-term, and they are not without controversy. There is a danger when you cross that line and turn your content/news site into an infomercial. Still, this trend is going to heat up because traditional news sites are desperate for revenue streams and marketers need new ways to cut through the content clutter.
3. Content as social currency
There is an entire science behind associating content with self-identity of your content consumers. In other words, we consume and share content if it reinforces something about our self-identity. We choose our content like we choose the clothes we wear or the car we drive.
Here is a small example. I noticed on the web that many people I admire were watching Breaking Bad. I began to watch this show because I emotionally associate with these friends.
I posted about my progress with the show as a type of social currency to demonstrate that I am part of the cult around this television series. It was not even a conscious act but the content I consumed and shared subtly became part of my identity.
4. Atomizing content
If people don't have time for long content, can you get smaller chunks of content through the pipeline? This would explain innovations such as Vine, Pinterest and infographics.
5. Understanding and working through advanced content filters
Jeff Domansky described the current state as "a drunken frat party" of content. Every search algorithm is going to be working hard to personalize the delivery of content and advanced new filters like Zite will make it even more difficult to break through with new ideas and products.
The content marketing formula used to be pretty straight-forward: Create useful, relevant content and optimize it in every way so it shows up at the top of Google search.
That is about to become infinitely more complex. In addition to personal filters, cognitive computing platforms like Apple's Siri or IBM's Watson use content as "fuel." What does marketing look like in that environment? How do we align ourselves with these filter and produce content in forms that can be absorbed and displayed by these algorithms?
6. Eyes on entertainment
In my classes, I emphasize that a focus on consistently producing content that is RITE — Relevant, Interesting, Timely, and Entertaining — will drive the right behaviors to produce shareable content. Of these, I think the big word for the future is "entertaining." But this is not necessarily going to be easy.
Look at what Chipotle is doing to sell burritos — producing multi-million-dollar mini-movies featuring popular songs and entertainers like Coldplay. That kind of multi-million-dollar quality is not sustainable for most businesses and will hasten the exit of marginal content producers. I think this partially explains why Chipotle's leading competitor Qdoba just filed for bankruptcy, a victim of Content Shock.
7. The paid imperative
As Christopher Penn recently wrote, success in the future probably can't depend on organic reach alone — we will have to have some paid component of a content strategy.
This hand is already being played for us, isn't it? With Facebook's organic reach diminishing year by year, companies have no choice but to pay for sponsored posts that can reach a larger audience. New platforms that integrate with traditional advertising and media will be a key idea.
8. Hit 'em where they ain't
If your competitor has overwhelmed the market with blog content, try videos. If videos are saturated for your business, start a podcast. Are there alternate platforms like Slideshare, Instagram, Pinterest or Google+ where you can make a mark?
In other words, look for alternate delivery channels. Should your business be on the lookout for the next big thing?
9. Borrow a Bigger Pipeline
Most people only look at "paid media" or "earned media" but there is an increasingly powerful third alternative: Borrowed Media.
In a recent Marketing Companion podcast, my co-host Tom Webster commented that the top search results for a new shoe he was looking to buy were all blog posts. Not articles in trade magazines. Not content on the shoe company's website. Not organic news results. Blog posts.
Let that sink in.
As I wrote in my book Return On Influence (a thorough tutorial on this emerging channel), we are in the era of the Citizen Influencer where passionate, trusted experts wield an incredible amount of power over loyal audiences. Companies are now beginning to recognize this as distinct marketing channel and must develop a core competency in the art and science of influence marketing.
In the past 12 months we have seen the beginning of influence marketing departments and even boutique agencies working this niche.
10. Human Connection.
Every week I receive heart-felt messages from members of the blog community like this: "Each morning I sit down with a cup of coffee and your latest blog post. I feel like you are a friend sitting across the table from me giving me a daily marketing lesson."
I work hard to create a true connection with my readers, and it is not something I can fake. I really do care about you and I work hard to write in a way that earns your trust every day.
Connecting in a human way is what leads to that trust. Trust leads to loyalty. And I believe that loyalty trumps everything else I have written about in this blog post.
I sincerely believe that "be more human" is the killer app for Content Shock. The best way to build long-term relationships that lead to business benefits isn't going to be through backlinks, sponsored posts, or native advertising. It is going to be through authentic human connection.
Be. More. Human.
Isn't that the ultimate goal for a person, a business, or a brand? What ideas did I miss here?
Illustration courtesy alpha coders free wallpaper of the movie 300
Book links are affiliate links
Case study: ROI of social influence
Dec 16th
What is the ROI of me? We're about to find out.
Last week I participated in an "influencer outreach program" sponsored by Dell. I have dabbled in stuff like this before but have never been immersed in a two-day event. Was there a payoff for Dell? Let's dissect this as a case study and find out.
I am vitally interested in the emerging channel of influence marketing because I genuinely believe this is an untapped goldmine for most companies and brands. With a declining ability to reach our target customers through newspapers, TV advertising and even some forms of Internet advertising, we must take a serious look at developing alternative competencies like connecting and nurturing powerful online advocates.
Many companies are attempting to enter this space and almost all of them are doing it wrong. They are simply sending awkward or even inappropriate emails to bloggers hoping beyond hope to get a placement or mention online. Some are paying content producers for mentions of their products.
This has created a feeding frenzy as brands desperately try to connect with influencers.
But one company got through.
What did it take to get me to stop what I was doing and take two unpaid days out of an insanely busy schedule to learn about Dell? Let's look at the one effort that worked as a model of how to cut through the noise and make a meaningful connection with a targeted "influencer."
The courtship
I normally don't respond to strangers asking for something out of the blue. But if it is somebody I know –either online or in real life — I will go to the ends of the earth to help them. Dell started connecting with me two years ago and invited me to several events that I chose not to attend for various reasons.
But they kept after me and several people from their marketing or social media group connected to me through Twitter. After several communications over a period of years, I knew they were trying to make an authentic connection with me so I started to pay attention. They were doing more than simply sending me an email and asking for a favor. After two years, I was hearing from people who I was beginning to know.
Current state
Before I participated in this event, I had a mildly negative view of Dell. I admired Michael Dell and the company's heritage but felt they were wedded to an obsolete business plan centered on PCs. I was aware that they have state-of-the-art social media efforts but who really cares when the stock price is slipping? I have never owned a Dell product. To the best of my knowledge I have not created any Dell-centered content before.
An offer of real value
Each year, Dell hosts a gathering for customers, partners and fans called Dell World. They wanted me to be their guest but I was hesitant — this was a huge (unpaid) commitment that would mean three days away from my home and business.
Dell eliminated as many barriers as they could by 1) offering to pay for my travel expenses; 2) providing a very educational and relevant program with great speakers; and 3) offering unique opportunities to meet with executives that would result in some good content for all of you.
And then I saw that Tesla/SpaceX founder Elon Musk was on the schedule. I was in!
The total package was attractive enough to convince me to go. This is a key point. Most influencers are not going to pay attention to you because you will increase their "awareness." You have got to offer something truly GREAT to cut through the clutter and have them connect with you and your products.
Paying attention to the details
Once I arrived at the site, Dell was helpful but not overbearing. They requested that I attend a couple of special media events but other than that, I was on my own to explore.
They provided a comfortable hotel room, unique content, friendly help, and access to some key leaders. The educational sessions were excellent and the demonstration area was lively and interesting. I even got to meet Michael Dell.
Dell just let the event unfold for me. They did not push me to do anything and asked nothing in return.
The results
Here is the hard part about influence marketing. There are no guarantees … and if there are benefits that occur, it could be far in the future. It's a patient investment. Still I think the event had an impact on me, and a benefit for Dell.
1) I tweeted and posted consistently throughout the event, not because I had too but because I was interested by what I was seeing and wanted to share it with my audience. So this provided small, positive, organic exposure for Dell and its event. I also created several other pieces of content from the event I will be sharing over the coming weeks.
2) I changed my mind about Dell. The company has a palpable new energy and direction since the company returned to being a private company this year. In fact, they may be uniquely positioned to succeed in the end-to-end enterprise tech market.
They are making bold moves into long-term R&D projects and announced a new $300 mm venture capital fund that they probably could never have pulled off as a public company. I heard some inspirational stories about the customers and markets they serve and I walked away with a much more positive opinion about their direction.
3) When you meet people in person, it always makes a strong impact. By getting to know some of the Dell people, I am more likely to respond to them in the future. We moved the relationship ahead.
4) I have never owned a Dell device of any kind. I will definitely consider one in the future.
What's the ROI of me?
That's really the big question isn't it? Dell worked hard to get me to Austin. I spent two days there. Is that going to sell any computers, servers or security systems?
That may or not happen. If it does, it's unlikely Dell will ever be able to connect the dots to determine the genesis of the sale was me. Will somebody buy something because of this blog post? Who knows?
But sales aren't everything. Business success comes from many complex interactions. Sometimes "trajectory" is more important than the "target." For example …
- Dell has had some PR problems over the years. I gave them some good PR and probably will continue to do so because I am interested in the company now. In fact, they had their social monitoring software on display for all to see and I was the number one non-Dell influencer putting out content during the entire conference (which is kind of hard to believe).
- I met with Dell people and others who I will probably collaborate with far into the future. People at Dell can leverage their relationship with me because I like them and I have a favorable view of their company. It's hard to put a number value on relationships, but there is undeniable value nonetheless.
- Dell needs to increase the market's awareness of their range of products and services. The message at Dell World was very clear and it was repeated often enough that even a non-techie like me can articulate their strategy. So I understand the company now and can explain it to others.
- Based on the number of messages I got about the conference, I definitely piqued the interest of others in attending Dell World. I think many people enjoyed following along with me.
Business is developed through relationships. And now, Dell has one more relationship it didn't have two weeks ago. And that can't be a bad thing, right?
What do you think? Would you consider this a successful investment for Dell and why? Would it still be a successful investment if I never personally bought a Dell product?
Disclosure: I have not received any pay or merchandise from Dell other than a coffee mug. The company paid for my travel expenses to Dell World.
Illustration courtesy of BigStock,com
We create content and content also creates us
May 15th
Recently I was interviewed by my friend Elizabeth Sosnow and she asked me about an observation in Return On Influence: "We create content … but in a way, content is also creating us."
It had been a long time since I thought about this and I thought it was timely to reflect on this powerful concept. I think my friend Jason Falls put it very well when he stated in the book:
"Before the social web, there was always a ceiling or a velvet rope – a limit to where you could go with your influence unless you were somebody famous. Now anybody can be heard. Social media and the Internet makes it possible for every person to be published, find an audience, and become influential."
Let's face it, most of the people making an impact on the social web today would not have been heard from even a few years ago, including me. Yes, I create content. But as you see, content is also creating me.
A few months ago, I was cornered at a conference by a lady who kept telling me, "You're a rockstar! You're a rockstar!" I realize that "celebrity" is something that exists in a person's head and there is nothing I can do about it, but this kind of stuff makes me very uncomfortable. I'm no rockstar, trust me. This is a perception … a creation … manufactured entirely by what I publish.
And while I am occasionally unnerved by both the positive and negative extremes of fandom, I realize how very fortunate I am to live in a time when my voice can be heard and I can truly have an impact on a global audience.
And you know what? You can have an impact, too.
If you're not using this amazing, historic opportunity to publish, you're missing out on one of the greatest technological gifts of our generation. Free publishing tools. Access to the world. The ability to connect with people nearly anywhere.
If you're not a decent writer, try video blogs. If you don't like video, start a podcast. If you don't want to commit to podcasts, how about slide presentations on Slideshare, or even photographs on Instagram?
This is Jason's time because he found blogging and committed to it. This is my time because I have the courage to create conversational content.
If you haven't become a content creator, what are you waiting for? This is your time too! What are you going to do about it?
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For a sweet sampler of mountain-bike rides with coastal views, head to Wilder Ranch State Park in Santa Cruz. With over 30 miles of well-marked trails, this former dairy farm is a destination for mountain bikers of all abilities.
For some tasty Mexican grub after your ride, head to Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz, where El Palomar makes its corn tortillas fresh and its margaritas strong. This place is consistently voted best Mexican food by the local weekly newspaper. Olé!
Beginners and casual riders can take the wide and easy Bluffs Ride, a 4-mile (one-way) cliffside path that leads to several beaches including a fern grotto. For mountain bikers who want some ups and downs with sections of swooping singletrack, point the wheels inland to the grassy hills and redwood forests of the Wilder Ranch Loop and Englesman Loop trails. More experienced riders can whoop it up on toothpick-tight trails like Old Cabin, Wild Boar, and Zane Gray Cutoff. With so much variety, bikers can create a route all their own. That's fat!
The Route Wilder Ranch is north of Santa Cruz, immediately west of Highway 1, about a mile past the Western Drive stoplight. There are plenty of loop options with multiple linking trails, so riders should pick up a map at the visitor center before heading up either the Wilder Ranch Loop or Englesman Loop trails (sports stores and bike shops in town also have maps.) Sometimes the trails are closed after a heavy rain. Call the park at 831-423-9703 to check.