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Cave City Things to Do
Go Spelunking at Diamond Caverns
Guided tours are offered (1 hour in length) every day. This is a "wet cave" so the formations are still growing. We had a great guide with Chelsea - she was very informative, telling us how the cave was discovered in 1859, and it's history to the present day. There are many stairs, some of which are steep, but the path is paved concrete and there...more
Go Ziplining!
We had a BLAST with Mammoth Cave Adventures Zipline! There are six towers of varying lengths and inclines. Our two guides were great - very helpful and very funny. They handled all of the hook-ups, so all we had to do was ride. There is an on-site photographer who got some great photos of us, and was reasonably priced. So much fun - would love to...more
Diamond Caverns shopping
Probably the worst customer service on our vacation. We didn't take the tour, but we went to the gift shop.more
Mammoth Cave Frozen Niagara
There are many tours to choose from at Mammoth Cave, but we chose the easiest and most decorated part of the cave. It did feel a little short, but this was just one of many stops on our trip. If this is your prime destination, I recommend a longer tour.more
Big Mike's Mystery House, Rock & Gift...
You can't go wrong with $1 for entrance into the mystery house (many free coupons floating around). Git a picture with Big Mo, and shop in their huge gift shop.more
Mammoth Cave
Hey, why not call it Cave City, if you're going to be just a few minutes outside one of the biggest, most interesting cave complexes in the world? Mammoth has a number of great hiking trails, and some of the most memorable cave tours you'll ever see. While the tours have admission fees, the rest of the park is free, so if you want to just take a...more
GunTown Mountain
Neat little theme park in Cave city.Has a guntown theme with gun fights and old time salon shows, as well as a neat concert in the opera house. My girls loved this park and made me spend way to much money on feeding animals.more
Mammoth Cave
One of the worlds most unique and largest cave systems.We did 2 of the easier tours as our girls are still young, but they loved the cave.Hiked around above ground and looked thru the cavers cemetary and got a few geocaches while we were in the park.more
Diamond Caverns
I went to the Diamond Caverns on break while visiting Ft. Knox for business - they were definitely the highlight of my trip!The tour guide was great telling stories about the cave wars and how people accessed the caves prior to installing the conveniant stair cases.Then just down the street there was a tourist trap selling beautiful geodes for a...more
Cave City Hotels
Comfort Inn Cave City
801 Mammoth Cave Rd, Cave City, KY 42127
Satisfaction: Excellent
Good for: Business
Best Western Kentucky Inn
1009 Doyle Ave, Cave City, KY 42127
Satisfaction: Very Good
Good for: Couples
Comfort Inn And Suites
First off,we're used to HAMPTON INN and their high standards,so I'm biased. Stayed at COMFORT INN...more
Cave City Restaurants
Delicious Mexican Food
It's hard to expect great food in a little town, but once again, the reviews on line all pointed here. El Mazatlan is a little Mexican restaurant tucked in behind a gas station. On the inside, the room is bright and festive. The servers are very attentive, and had drinks and chips/salsa for us very quickly. The menu here is enormous, and there are...more
Joe's Diner Rocks
Great old fashioned hamburger style joint.Has mini golf for kids as well as air hockey and pool table.It is right outside the gate to Jellystone so was an eay walk from the campsite, and offered a great atmosphere for family fun. All of it.more
Eat at Joe's
This is a typical diner with greasy fries, greasy hamburgers, greasy chili...that's what makes it great! The menu and atmosphere are vintage 50's style diner complete with dining car. The food is pretty good but don't forget the antiacids! Hamburger, fries and a chocolate shakemore
Cave City Tourist Traps
Big Mike's Rock & Gift Shop
You gotta love a place who's signage touts "Pressed Penny Machine Onsite!" :-) We stopped in to get something to drink (they sell bottled water and soft drinks), and I also picked up my pressed penny, some postcards, and a couple of hiking stick medallions. They offer a wide range of the "typical tourist stuff" as well as a wide array of rocks and gemstones. There is a HUGE bin of marbles out front which brought back memories of my childhood...
While you are there, check out "Big Mo", a fairly large mosasaur skull, and then take your picture with the statue of Big Mo in front of the shop. A visit to the Mystery House will set you back a whole $1 - kinda cheesy optical illusions, but it will entertain the kids.
Yes, it is a "tourist trap", but it was a fun stop and won't take up too much of your time on your way to Mammoth Cave or Diamond Caverns. :-)
566 Old Mammoth Cave Road
Cave City, KY 42127
Phone: (270) 773-5144Related to:
- Family Travel
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This poll follows the U.S. government's recent announcement of an impending opening of long-haul cross-border opportunity for Mexican carriers? What will be the primary U.S. result, as you see it?Read More
And a check-in with owner-operator Jan McCarter on her new Human Trafficking Awareness Project, looking ahead to MATS in March.Read More
Four in 10 readers believe 2015 holds better prospects than 2014 for their businesses.Read More
The third and final part of the Channel 19 2014 year in review, threading the needle through the most-read posts to the blog, here with an emphasis on rates and pay, parking and more.Read More
DAT's Freight index remained up year over year in November. Here find a look what states were hot for outbound demand, measured by the outbound/inbound load ratio for the month.Read More
Per-mile spot market rates in reefer and dry van segments saw big jumps in November, keeping in line with seasonal trends, while flatbed rates fell a few cents in the month.Read More
Per-mile rates on the spot market fell for the fourth straight month in October, mostly in line with seasonal trends, but they remained strong and much higher than Octobers in recent years, according to data released Nov. 3 by Internet Truckstop.Read More
An FMCSA advisory committee discussion offered insight into how the agency will proceed with its rulemaking to increase liability insurance minimums and the potential consequences facing small business truckers if and when an increase occurs.Read More
The story of how Marine Corps veteran and onetime company driver Chad Boblett drove his independent business to success shows that, sometimes, the big leap pans out, even in this business.Read More
Spot market volume in September jumped 32 percent compared to the same month last year, according to the monthly DAT Freight Index, continuing more than a year of strong year-over-year increases.Read More

subset: commoncrawl


text: Stayed here in May this year and really enjoyed our stay. Was a little disappointed we got there a day late due to the storms that hit Brisbane the night we were due to check in. But we still had a lovely 2 nights there and would stay again. The staff were nice and the rooms were clean. The pools... More


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It ended in October 1997, "just after Yom Kippur," she said.
They end the Yom Kippur fast with a soup, very often a Moroccan soup with a lot of different beans.
We fasted for Yom Kippur, read from the Megillah for Purim, and said bruchas over every meal.
Jewish holiday, 1854, from Mishnaic Hebrew yom kippur (in Biblical Hebrew, yom kippurim), literally "day of atonement," from yom "day" + kippur "atonement, expiation."
In Judaism, the Day of Atonement, the most important religious holiday; a day of fasting to atone for sins. It comes in autumn. (See Rosh Hashanah.)


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Only Show: Luxury Tours | Romantic Tours
Amsterdam Canals Candlelight Cruise Including Wine and Cheese
Sit back and relax on a 2-hour candlelight cruise along Amsterdam's famous canals, the perfect way to unwind from a day of sightseeing or set the mood for a ... Read more
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Amsterdam Salon Boat Sightseeing Cruise with Sparkling Wine
Soak up Amsterdam's waterside sights in an elegant boat on this 75-minute canal cruise. Enjoy the uncrowded setting of a cruise limited to just 25 people; ... Read more
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Album Rating: 3.0job titles are like genre tags
Album Rating: 4.0Yeah I figured chemists would figure highly. Are you on the laboratory side of things or the admin side?
Album Rating: 1.5genre tags are way worse than job titles
Album Rating: 3.0Album has some great moments, but it's overall really bombastic and uneven. This review said it pretty well, but 2.5's kinda low. I'd say 3.5, there's definitely some great ideas here, even if they're not executed completely successfully.
Album Rating: 5.0Are you on the laboratory side of things or the admin side?
lab side, admin side is boring as hell, more boring than hail to the king, and hail to the king is boring
Album Rating: 1.5"i recommend this album to queers like aubergine and that j0ckstrap fag"
Album Rating: 3.5I heard the based god and misha mansoor are collaborating
Digging: Self Defense Family - Heaven Is Earth
Album Rating: 4.0are yall niggas still here god damn
I finally gave this a listen for the first time today. It's more restrained, and Spencer sounds like Rody Walker. Not bad.
Digging: Refused - Freedom
Album Rating: 4.5das ist ziemlich gut, jawohl
someguest i thought you were above this
nah I love technical things
engagements, sexual infidelity, music produced with pro tools, etc.
nah I love technical things
engagements, sexual infidelity
Album Rating: 5.0Don't de so spooky, spooky. Lol. Anyways, I like you fella
especially when you combine the two lol
Album Rating: 5.0Well someguest, I hope you seriously got djent cuz while you derp I djent, seeing people derping is no good for nobody's soul, start to djent and transform yourself into a table
Album Rating: 2.5Jamie speaks the truth
Album Rating: 5.0stfu
I don't want, so what ?
That doesn't even make any sense.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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Reply0#9 - desolatetree (01/17/2013) [-]
I know it's a joke, but a lot of people will forget that they borrowed the pen and walk away without realizing they stole it, and others simply try to take it just because it's free.
Back to the content 'Suspicious Banks' Leave a comment


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Hip-hop Artist
Born Sep 14, 1973 Age 41
Hometown New York City Net Worth $31.67 Million
Religion Muslim Genres Hip hop
Instruments Sampler (musical ... Performed With Olu Dara + Damian...
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known mononymously as Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is the son of jazz musician Olu Dara. Since 1994, Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and sold over 13 million records in… Read More
View newly released photos of Nas.
Check out the latest love interests for Nas.
to NasMarried 2005 - 2009
KelisMarried 2005 - 2010
Mary J. BligeDated 1997
Carmen BryanDated 1992 - 2001
Karrine SteffansFling
Amy WinehouseFling
Karrine SteffansFling
Foxy BrownDated
Tracee Ellis RossDated
K. D. AubertDated
Beyoncé KnowlesDated
Foxy BrownDated
Discover the family history of Nas.
Age 41
Olu DaraFather, Age 74
News + Updates
Browse recent news and stories about Nas.
Wd My Cloud Ex2100 Dual Bay 8 Tb Nas ReviewHot Hardware - May 06, 2015
Michael Eric Dyson's HypocrisyHuffington Post - Apr 30, 2015
Tribeca All Access 2015: Giving A Cinematic Voice To The UnderrepresentedHuffington Post - Apr 20, 2015
Tech Pros' Favorite Tools Increase It EfficiencyIT World - Apr 16, 2015
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Nas.
1973 Birth Born on September 14, 1973.
1985 11 Years Old Nas's parents divorced in 1985, and he dropped out of school in the ninth grade. … Read More
1991 17 Years Old 1 More Event
His rise to fame began in 1991 with his feature on hip hop group Main Source's debut album on the track "Live at the Barbeque". … Read More
1992 18 Years Old In mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. … Read More
1994 20 Years Old 3 More Events
His debut album Illmatic, released in 1994 by Columbia Records, received universal acclaim from both critics and the hip hop community and would go on to be widely hailed as a musical landmark and a classic in the genre and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest LPs of all time. … Read More
1997 23 Years Old 1 More Event
… Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album was finally released in 1997 to mixed reviews. … Read More
1998 24 Years Old In 1998, Nas co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams's 1998 feature film Belly. … Read More
1999 25 Years Old 1 More Event
The Autobiography was completed in early 1999, and a music video was shot for its lead single, "Nas Is Like". … Read More
2000 26 Years Old In 2000, Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest, which is popularly known as simply QB's Finest, was released on Nas's Ill Will Records. … Read More
2001 27 Years Old 1 More Event
After trading subliminal criticisms on various songs, freestyles and mixtape appearances, the highly publicized feud between Nas and Jay-Z became widely known to the public in 2001. … Read More
2002 28 Years Old 2 More Events
In 2002, in the midst of the feud between the two New York rappers, Eminem cited both Nas and Jay-Z as being two of the best MC's in the industry, in his song 'Till I Collapse. … Read More
2007 33 Years Old 3 More Events
On September 6, 2007, Nas performed at a free concert for the Virginia Tech student body and faculty, following the school shooting there. … Read More
2008 34 Years Old On July 23, 2008, Nas appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss his opinion of O'Reilly and Fox News, which he accused of bias against the African-American community and re-challenged O'Reilly to a debate. … Read More
2009 35 Years Old 3 More Events
At the 2009 Grammy Awards, Nas confirmed he was collaborating on an album with reggae musician Damian Marley which was expected to be released in Fall 2009. … Read More
2012 38 Years Old 2 More Events
Original Authors of this text are noted on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nas.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


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La Pine, Oregon Vacation Rentals - DiamondStone offers peaceful, rural lodging. B&B, Log Cabin, & Vacation Rentals. Private spaces for special memories. MOTORCYCLE rentals onsite. With four Seasons & dry climate, recreation opportuniti...
La Pine, Oregon Hotels & Resorts - Stay at this La Pine, Oregon hotel, a central location to five of the major recreational areas in Oregon including Crater Lake and the 14 lake Cascade
La Pine, Oregon Vacations - Travel guide to La Pine, Oregon accommodations and vacation packages. Visit La Pine, Oregon for getaways and adventure travel. Plan your La Pine, Oregon vacation today.


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After shooting video and film, we transform the footage into a high-quality, visual experience that drives an emotional reaction. Our color correction, motion graphics, and editing tools enable us to deliver the most suitable tone to deliver your company's message.
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Why aren't you using option 1, which is the easier of the two? You don't need to extract anything there.
Sent from my Nook Tablet using XDA
Oh, believe me I am. 10 seconds on the video for option 2 made me want to curl up in the corner and sob.
The reason I'm extracting is that's what the instructions for the Nookie FroYo say to do. Am I overthinking this?
after root, will i still be able to access my B&N books that i've purchased?
looks as tho all original data on the tablet is lost?
also, is there a way to un-root if the need be? TIA
That's unrelated to my restore image. Can't help you there I'm afraid.
Sent from my Nook Tablet using XDA
also i cant boot without the sd card installed is that normal?
it worked but now i cant use the n button also i cant use the system restore in the settings menu.
I tried the boot method 1 in your instructions w. a 512M and 256M SDcard I had lying around. Neither one gets to the initial cardboard box boot screen. I just see the n symbol and it boots in as normal. Tried putting the image on Windows and mac with same result. Is it possible that the SDcard density needs to be some specific range for this to work?
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Cartlidge & Browne Zinfandel 2012
Cartlidge & Browne - California - United States - North Coast
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Additional Information on Cartlidge & Browne Zinfandel 2012
Cartlidge & Browne
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in. The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Zinfandel
Zinfandel grapes are renowned for being quite fast growing and somewhat vigorous, thriving best in climates which are warm, but not too hot. As Zinfandel grapes are thin skinned, they are prone to dry and shrivel in too much heat, and due to the fact that they grow in large, tightly packed bunches, they are also sensitive to rot. As such, Zinfandel is a grape variety which requires quite a lot of care and attention, but which can produce beautiful results given the right conditions. Indeed, this grape varietal is often praised for the fact that it is one which can demonstrate the skill and expertise of the winery processing it, and clearly demonstrates the features of the terroir it is grown. Partly this is due to those thin skins – the lower tannin content in the wines allows other features of the grape to come forward and be displayed in all their various glories. The grapes themselves are known to ripen early, and produce plenty of juice with a high sugar content. It is not unusual, however, for wineries to take a late harvest of Zinfandel grapes, and the concentrated sugars and over-ripe fruits often make for excellent dessert wines, also.
Region: California
Since the 18th century, California has been a hugely important and influential wine region, acting as a trailblazer for other New World wine regions and utilizing an important blend of traditional and contemporary practices, methods and techniques relating to their wine production. Split into four key areas – the North Coast, the Central Coast, the South Coast and the Central Valley – Californian wineries make the most of their ideal climate and rich variety of terrains in order to produce a fascinating range of wines made with a long list of different fine grape varietals. Today, the state has almost half a million acres under vine, and is one of the world's largest wine exporters, with Californian wines being drunk and enjoyed all across the globe.
Country: United States
For three hundred years now, the United States has been leading the New World in wine production, both in regards to quantity and quality. Wine is actually produced in all fifty states across the country, with California leading the way by an enormous margin. Indeed, as much as eighty-nine percent of all wines to come out of the United States are produced in California, where the fertile soils and sloping mountain sides, coupled with the long, hot summers provide ideal conditions for producing high quality, European style red, white and rosé wines. With over a million acres of the country under vine, the United States sits comfortably as the fourth largest wine producer in the world, where imported grape varietals from all over the Old World are processed using a successful blend of traditional and contemporary techniques.
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We're not sure why anybody trusts anything printed by ShowbizSpy, but we suppose it's the slow pre-Christmas week -- and perhaps some geek sites let the egg nog get to their head. But according to quotes from a probably made up "insider" ShowbizSpy claimed that Harrison Ford wants Indiana Jones to d...Read More »
Yet again, The Social Network is proving itself to be a consensus title among critics. It tops indieWIRE's critics poll. Many also loved Winter's Bone or Black Swan, but they all love The Social Network. It may not be number one on every critic's list, but it's in just about every top five. 71 of th...Read More »
Terrence Davies doesn't make movies very often, but when he does, we sit up and pay attention because he is one of the masters. His last film was the documentary/memoir/tone poem "Of Time And The City," and that was four years ago. Eight years before then was "The House Of Mirth." So when it was ann...Read More »
The 2010 indieWIRE Critics Poll in all its glory is now complete and online for your pleasure. Though you could go ahead and figure this out yourself, I did you the geeky service of going through and compiling what the results would look like if the categories were Academy Award-style. It's a dream...Read More »
The Fighter is based on real characters from Lowell, Massachusetts, and the HBO doc on Dicky Eklund (played by Christan Bale), is up on Snagfilms.Read More »
This afternoon we spoke to Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Entertainment. With the year coming to a close, 2010 marks IFC's tenth anniversary as a film distributor and in that time, they have become one of the most respected and important players on the market. They've adapted to the continually shifting world of independent cinema, embraced as one of the pioneers of theatrical/VOD day and date distribution and this year found the company launching yet another outlet, IFC Midnight, an outlet for genre films such as "The Human Centipede" and "Antichrist." But as we head into 2011, IFC Entertainment will continue to forge ahead with new venu...Read More »
Project Is Under Wraps, But It'll Be His First Feature Since 2001Filmmaker Roman Coppola hasn't made a film since 2001, the weird and wonderful "CQ," his paean to the groovy films of the '60s, perhaps completely influenced by the cheesy/awesome super-thief Mario Bava action-heist film, "Danger: Diabolik." Yes, "CQ" is different. It's a film within a film, and the story of a young director (Jeremy Davies) who moves to Paris to make sci-fi films, but it has similar sensibilities with its purposeful cornball, period-piece effects and it's excellent psychedelic go-go score by the French band Mellow. It's an incredibly underrated film -- Jason Sch...Read More »
The Academy has gone through all the submissions for best picture this year and counts two hundred forty-eight feature films that are eligible. To be eligible for 83rd Academy Awards® consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnig...Read More »
Oscar-Winning Actor Also Says Reported Project With Tony Scott Is "Not Real"A dying street hustler with two young children, a bi-polar ex-wife and a dicey career in the black market of Barcelona, Alejandro González Iñárritu's harrowing humanist drama, "Biutiful," follows the final days of Uxbal, as he struggles to prepare all the parts of his life to go on without him. Oh yes, and to complicate things, the man coming to terms with his own mortality has a special gift/curse; he sees dead people. At times touching, at others shocking and bleak, this film certainly produces affect, but it is biutiful indeed, and due in no small part to the perfo...Read More »
When Prince Fabious's (James Franco) bride is kidnapped by an evil wizard, he sets out on a quest to rescue her... accompanied by his lazy, useless brother Thadeous. Of course this is all set in medieval times, and Thadeous is played by Danny McBride, whose character has to kick a pot habit along the way. And yes, this is the ridiculous/awesome set-up to David Gordon Green's "Your Highness," which possibly looks like it might be the best time you'll have in theaters in 2011. The film also stars Justin Theroux as the wizard, Zooey Deschanel (who worked with Green on "All the Real Girls," as did McBride; it was his first appearance onscreen) as...Read More »


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|Chinese stocksnot sure where to post this but... anyone know of a chinese site covering china / hk kinda like the seekingalpha here? thanks!
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|Anyone buying GS?putting this in ibanking because there's not specific stock picking forum anyone thinking about this? It's at 119 now and I think this could be a pretty good long term buy. 52 week low is at 110 and target price is at ~170. imo, gs didn't do anything wrong and the only thing that's really...
|3 years 10 months
|US Private Equity with Asia InvestmentHello All, Currently undergoing recruiting now and was wondering if anyone know any US based funds that invest particularly in cross-border deals in HK, China, Taiwan, etc. Went through a lot interviews and ultimately decided that this might be something I want to do and need some guidance on...
|4 years 2 months
|West Coast PE, Growth Equity and VCWhich places are still recruiting? On top of my head, JMI and Redpoint. Anyone know which places are still doing it? Thanks.
|4 years 3 months
|Excel Shortcut QuestionDoes anyone know how to go to precedent of every cell or put a border below a cell? ctrl +[ only helps me to go to the first cell and I don't want to rely on dealmaven Thanks.
|4 years 4 months
|Need : Capital Market ResourcesHello all, so lately I have been dealing with a lot vc-backed funds trying to raise new money. The market is gradually coming down in this field and we are definitely happy to see some actions here However, I personally am not too familiar with the VC capital market terms ( premoney, post...
|4 years 10 months
|Tax Shelter Advice?Anyone recommend any tax saving books or resources? I figure that most bankers probably have a list of good resources since everyone get hit with almost a 40% earning 6 figures. Thanks in advance.
|5 years 2 months
|Question about 401k, insurance, etc prior to FTHey guys, so I am starting full time soon in a boutique. I am gathering all my documents and figuring out what plan I should choose and it's pretty confusing, so i was wondering if anyone with experience can help. Here is my situation with my 401k: 1. My employer does NOT match...
|5 years 2 months
|70/10? for every bank?Are all the banks offering 70/10(15 for returning) now? I heard that boutiques like greenhill is offering 75k?
|5 years 6 months
|Pre-Wells Wachovia Tech GroupHey guys, Just wondering if anyone have any inputs on the culture and the details of the group before the wells merge at SF.
|5 years 7 months
|What is it ACTUALLY like earning 100k??100k after tax is ~ 80k. Rent will take up ~ 20k / year if you are in NYC so you are left with 60K. Monthly entertainment expense of 1k or so on entertainment and another 500 on food (assuming you don't go to fancy restaurants and you stay late for dinners) will get you to 40K. That's the most you...
|2 years 1 month
|Answering the "What is your current Comp.....just answer what your current comp is. If they lowball you, you can negotiate by bringing up the street number. If it is a good buyside firm with good rep, they wouldnt care if it's 100k or 200k if they really want you.
|2 years 1 month
|Growth Equity / Late Stage VC RecruitersI believe CPI did JMI when I was recruiting back in banking days. So it's possible they do the other ones. - sorry, corrected
|2 years 1 month
|Ask Clear Admit: Can I get into a top MBA program?Hello, Would you mind discussing my chance for M7, and what do I need to do now to improve my profile now for a better chance in 2 years? Stats- Asian Male, raised in Asia, came to US around high school. Plan to apply for bschool in 2 years. Education: Top UC 3.45 Cumulative GPA, 3....
|2 years 1 month
|Ask Stacy Blackman Consulting - Business School...Hello Stacy, Would you mind discussing my chance for M7, and what do I need to do now to improve my profile now for a better chance in 2 years? Stats- Asian Male, raised in Asia, came to US around high school. Plan to apply for bschool in 2 years. Education: Top UC 3.45 Cumulative...
|2 years 1 month
|Ask Alex at MBA ApplyHello Alex, Would you mind discussing my chance for M7? Stats- Asian Male Education: Top UC 3.45 Cumulative GPA, 3.8 Major GPA Electrical Engineering (picked up slack in 3rd and 4th year) SAT:1400 GMAT: Haven't taken it yet, but probably 720+ Work Experience: Well-known...
|2 years 1 month
|Jefferies Paynot sure if the guys above are serious or not...but i have heard some bad numbers for last year
|2 years 1 month
|Remaining in HLHZ Restructuring for lifejust to throw it out there...in my fund, 3 out of 9 guys don't have american citizenship (yes, indian). I also have several other friends who are NOT in mega funds (in 1b+) PE funds who got their firms to sponsor for them. Some even applied for permanent residency for them as well.
|2 years 1 month
|Remaining in HLHZ Restructuring for lifelol i have several friends who are international and was able to get their visa sponsored by PE firms LOL. Sure permanent residency might be a problem if you are there for a short term, but if you are really good at what your do, I don't see a problem once you get your post MBA spots. bad advice
|2 years 2 months
|Technical Question: Cost of Capital in 100% Debt...weird question...how do you wipe out the equity in an LBO lol so sponsors lose their whole check from day 1 lol
|2 years 2 months


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NetGain update
Expand Messages
August 31, 2000
Published by NetGain: We build the blueprint
for eCommunications.
What's inside...
* You Know You've Been Communicating Change
Initiatives Too Long When...
* Outsourcing -- Staying Strategic In The
eCommunication World
* Information Portals: The Daily Me(dium)
* Intranet Chat: Noise or Substance?
* NextWave Returns
* This Month...
* About This Newsletter
* About NetGain
by Carol Kinsey Goman
1. You ask your waiter what the restaurant's core competencies
2. You decide to re-org your friends into "cross-functional
3. You refer to your date as a "pilot project."
4. You prepare for a date by developing a list of "critical
success measures."
5. You can spell paradigm.
6. You actually know what a paradigm is.
7. You write executive summaries on your love letters.
8. Your valentines have bullet points.
9. You worry about putting the right "spin" on your wedding
10. You refer to your marriage as "the merger."
11. You celebrate your wedding anniversary by conducting a
performance review.
12. You believe you never face problems in life - just
"opportunities for improvement and learning."
13. You refer to your family picnic as the "offsite team-
building event."
14. You begin to believe there really is a difference between
reengineering, downsizing, rightsizing, and firing people.
15. You start to think of adultery as "benchmarking."
16. You refer to family members as "associates."
17. You think that the dog's refusal to obey means he's in
18. You give constructive feedback to your goldfish.
19. You create your grocery list as a PowerPoint presentation.
20. You begin every sentence with "Since nothing remains
constant except change. . ."
21. You refer to a conversation with your two-year-old as a
"brainstorming session."
22. You ask your spouse to tell the kids to behave, and you
think of it as "cascade communication."
23. You refer to your optometrist's eye chart as the "vision
24. You call your 96-year-old grandmother a "Luddite."
25. You're certain that the consultant you hired just said
something insightful.
26. You think of Dilbert as a whinny little change-resistor.
(I don't know the original author of this e-mail list, but I've
altered and adapted it to reflect a change-communication
perspective. Hope everyone is having a happy summer vacation.
Obviously, I need one!)
Carol is busy changing at carol@...
by Tudor Williams, ABC
Having trouble peering over the top of the black hole you
disappeared into when you launched your ecommunication plan?
Did the task of structuring and staffing the ecommunication
function become a maze through which you crawled, literally
creating new directions and routes to implement your strategies?
Did you draw up job descriptions for positions that have never
existed or only recently were created by technology advances?
Have you searched employment marketplaces for skills that did
not exist a year ago and experience that can only be measured
in months not years?
And when you eventually had a structure and a staffing plan,
did you have to sell it to a boss or an HR department where
little understanding exists about the challenges of launching
and managing enterprise portals? Did they realize few precedents
exist for the hiring and nurturing of our new technology
But wait, why build another traditional, staff-heavy empire to
deliver ecommunication strategies to customers and employees?
In the past two years, the trend to outsourcing the tactical
specialties of ecommunication is increasing by quantum leaps.
Small, technology entrepreneurs are out there ready and willing
to bring a creative specialty team to your rescue on a contract
basis. And guess what, they will commit to high quality, low
cost, fast turnaround - your impossible dream.
But by far the biggest benefit of outsourcing the technology
tactics of your strategy is your return to the strategic table
where you can counsel and advise on communication strategy.
If your core competencies lie in strategic communication
management, then beware of the traps that await those who get
tangled in the Web and wallow in the implementation of
technology solutions.
Stick to your core business. Outsource the ecommunication
solutions to those bright young entrepreneurs who welcome
the challenge and rarely know what quitting time is.
Contact Tudor at tudor@...
by Pete Shinbach, APR
Longtime Update readers are by now used to our focus on portals,
those personalized Web pages we can create at any number of Web
sites. In fact, by my count, there have been five Update
articles in the past year or so. Well, here's number six.
Traditional portals, like MyYahoo, Quicken's MyFinances or
Newspage, give us the ability to tailor entire sites to our
likes & dislikes. I can set up Morningstar's portal to track
my investments or my client & their peer companies' investment
performance. My Snap portal can show me the local weather,
news and lottery numbers as well as news about my company,
clients or industries I track. The Interactive Wall St.
Journal's Personal Journal shows me all the news from that
newspaper that I've identified as being of interest to me.
The idea is to provide the reader with a lot of information
about general topics of interest to the reader.
Recently, we've seen a refined portal making headway. Called
various things, ranging from "screen scraper" to the more
refined "Internet aggregation service," these services take
the concept of the portal one step further. They give readers
the ability to build their own personal, up-to-date websites
comprising only those pages they select. The key difference
here is that the reader -- you and me -- select the pages, not
the portal host. Those Web pages can come from anywhere, not
just sites that have relationships with Yahoo or Morningstar
or Quicken or whoever is hosting the portal site. You or I can
subscribe to Octopus or Yodlee and build a page that has our
e-mail, frequent flyer mileage summary, news about our clients
and updates on our favorite college football team. Some of these
services will link to your bank or brokerage account and
aggregate your financial information on the same screen with
your airline mileage and news clips.
None of this, however, should be surprising. Ever since Nicholas
Negroponte, MIT Media Lab's director, started talking about the
"Daily Me" back in the 20th Century, we've seen a continuing
trend to more and more media personalization. For 21st Century
communicators, the challenge is to adapt our messages to cut
through the information clutter that these aggregation services
help to control.
Pete is available at pete@...
by Shel Holtz, ABC
Many organizations are implementing online systems as part of
an effort to spur collaboration and knowledge transfer. To
be sure, online collaboration tools -- notably discussion
groups (or forums or bulletin boards or newsgroups) --
have been shown again and again to pay off for the companies
that shrug off lawyers' concerns based on the belief that
the benefits they will accrue are greater than any potential
Excited by the prospects, some companies have elected to
try chat rooms, as well. Often, these terms are used
interchangably, but they are, in fact, entirely different
beasts. Discussion groups are asynchronous -- that is, they
are not real-time discussions. Participants check in at
their leisure, responding to questions or comments posted
by other participants earlier, when it was convenient for
them. Chat rooms, on the other hand, =are= real-time tools.
If I type a line, you have to be sitting at your computer
at the same time in order to see it. And unless somebody
takes the trouble to archive the chat, once it's over, it's
gone forever.
Chat rooms can certainly be used advantageously. They are
useful tools as part of a strategy to communicate specific
issues. For example, the launch of a new business initiative
can be the topic of a chat hosted by the executive with
responsibility for the initiative's success. A series of
chats for employees of companies going through a merger
or acquisition can help get answers to employees without
requiring them to congregate in a central location while
enhancing management's credibility. EDS, the high-tech
consulting firm, uses chats to augment a face-to-face
program in which executives meet with employees. Now, in
addition to meetings in which local employees meet with
management, additional chats allow employees from =any=
location to meet with key management.
The danger of chat rooms comes when they are implemented
without purpose. One company recently opened a chat room
for employees to discuss whatever was on their mind. The
company -- a recent merger partner -- hoped the chat room
would allow employees to talk openly to one another about
substantive merger-related issues. Instead, a few
employees dominated the chat rooms with inappropriate,
foul-mouthed griping. They spent so much time in the
chat rooms that their managers asked the communications
department to block access for their entire business
unit. The company now plans to limit open discussions
to the asynchronous discussion groups and restrict chat
rooms for topic-specific, time-limited special events.
Technology for its own sake rarely solves any problems.
Make sure any online solution you implement genuinely
addresses an issue -- and addresses it =better= than
any other tool.
Shel can be reached at shel@...
NetGain's partnership with IABC in presenting a two-day
conference on new strategies and approaches to ecommunication
was so successful, we're doing it again.
NextWave, the IABC/NetGain eeommunication conference, is being
presented in Toronto September 25-26. The lineup is not the
same as the February conference in Washington, DC -- new
topics and speakers are being offered, along with pre-
conference workshops, so NextWave continues to offer the latest
thinking and successes in the use of the Internet as a
communication tool.
The site for the conference, www.nextwave2000.com, includes
details about sessions and online registration.
* Opened a technology conference speaking on the human
side of high tech.
* Helped the leaders of a Fortune 500 company's IT
department understand how to lead their organization
through the transformation into the world of e-business.
* Consulted with the IT department of a company going through
its first organizational downsizing.
* Began a client review of the cost and quality of delivery
of ecommunication services and programs.
* Conducted research to assist a client in the development
of a common portal strategy for internet
and intranet Web sites.
* Helped an integrated marketing firm develop online
communications strategies for three pre-IPO clients.
* Presented a series of seminars for public relations and
advertising professionals about understanding and working
with online media.
* Designed and launched, online, a full communication audit
for employees in 10 countries and two continents.
* Developed online and ebusiness polieis for a major
manufacturing company.
* Crafted a communication strategy for an international
organizational communication association.
Was this issue of the NetGain Update useful? Did it give
you a new idea or two you can use to improve the way you
use electronic information tools? Maybe even a new service
you can offer your clients or employer to help them
succeed. If it did, we've succeeded. If it didn't, just
wait until the next issue.
NetGain UPDATE is a monthly newsletter published by
NetGain, a consortium of independent communications
technology consultants. Each article in this newsletter
is copyrighted by its author. Feel free to share the
NetGain Update with your associates, clients, managers
or anyone else you think would benefit from it. And
remember, anyone can sign up for a free subscription at
our Web site, http://www.netgain.org
Jim Rink
Senior Contributing Editor
AAA Michigan, 1 Auto Club Dr.
Dearborn, Michigan, 48126 USA
E-MAIL: userg@...
WEB: www.jimrink.com/cmc.html
Join 18 million Eudora users by signing up for a free Eudora Web-Mail account at http://www.eudoramail.com
November 2001
Published by NetGain: We build the blueprint
for eCommunications.
What's inside...
1. This Month's Topic: Newsgroups, Chat Rooms And Blogs
2. Blogs And Public Relations
3. Thoughts On Dealing With Rumors, Hoaxes And
Other Online Bogeymen
4. IM -- The Next Online Revolution
5. We'd Like Your Views On Writing for the Web
6. We Asked And You Told Us: Newsgroups, Chat Rooms
And Blogs
7. About NetGain
8. This Month...
9. About This Newsletter
by Shel Holtz, ABC
Long before high-priced designers began publishing slick
Web pages loaded with Flash and Shockwave and all the
other gewgaws that adorn sites these days -- in fact,
even before there =was= a World Wide Web -- the Internet
was a vibrant and thriving place. What made it so
compelling given the absence of the graphical Web? Simple:
Even the Web itself is an extension of the community of
users that breathes life into the Net. With the notable
exception of institutional Web sites (businesses, non-
profits, academia, government), the Web is a place where
real people express themselves in their true human voices,
where a free exchange of ideas and information takes
Business, loathe to ignore a popular medium, jumped onto
the Web, viewing it as a nifty way to publish and ignoring
its communal character. Even now, five or six years after
business embraced the Net, most companies do not monitor
discussion groups let alone build their own. In another
example of business failing to leverage the power of the
Net, most companies have brought the Net in-house in the
form of intranets but have rejected the idea of employee
discussion groups. God forbid employees should actually
=talk= to one another!
Yet the community continues to fuel online communication.
According to Burson Marstellar's research on who
influences the Internet population, a key part of the
answer is those who most frequently and articulately
publish their views in bulletin boards, discussion groups,
email mailing lists, and other online vehicles. (You can
read a short version of the "efluentials" report at
In other words, if we are going to leverage the Internet
and intranets as communication tools, it is vital that we
learn how to monitor, participate in and build the
communities that are the heart of the Net.
Blogs represent one of the newest means by which
individuals share their views and influence others online.
Our guest columnist this month, Gary Bivings, offers some
thoughts on the importance of blogs (not to mention a
definition, since our survey indicated few readers even
know what a blog is).
Online discussions are not only opportunities for public
relations practitioners -- they can be a hazard, spreading
rumors and misinformation about everything from public
figures to your company. Pete Shinbach fills us in on how
to cope with rumors and hoaxes that spread over the Net.
Finally, Tudor Williams talks about the growing importance
of instant messaging, another of those technologies that
emerged from the realm of teenagers playing online to a
useful business tool.
Don't forget to read the results of last month's survey
on how Update readers use online communities. And please
follow the link to this month's survey about next month's
topic: writing for the online world.
Reach Shel at shel@...
by F. Gary Bivings, The Bivings Group
Blog: A blog (or web log) is a webpage where a blogger
(the person who edits the site) logs all the other
webpages he or she finds interesting, often offering
commentary about the information that is posted.
Weve all heard the stories. John Smith from
www.randomblog.com contacts a PR firm with questions about
a client. Having never heard of the site, the PR firm
never returns the call. John Smith becomes offended and
ends up spending the next few days scorching the PR firm
and its client on www.randomblog.com. Turns out
www.randomblog.com attracts hundreds of thousands of users
a month, and it seems like every one of them sends an
email to both the client and PR firm. The mainstream media
picks up on the story, and soon the client is on the
defensive and the PR firm looks out of touch.
Lets face it - this could happen to any of us. But with
a little research and some creative thinking, you can deal
with the emergence of blogs proactively, instead of
becoming just another blog victim. Following are some tips
that will help you navigate the world of blogs for your
client or company.
(1) Know the Key Players. If your area of expertise is
politics, go online and identify the most popular
political blogs and monitor them periodically to see how
your client or issue is being covered. To identify key
blogs, visit a blog search engine or directory and spend a
few hours typing in searches that are relevant to your
client (www.blogger.com and www.bloghop.com are two good
places to start, with www.blogger.com even having software
that makes it easy for you to build your own blog). Once
you identify a relevant blog, check out that sites Links
section to find other blogs on your topic of interest. Be
sure to search for additional blogs periodically - new
ones pop up every day.
(2) Be Proactive. Once you know who the key players are,
dont be shy about contacting them. Add them to the
distribution list for press releases and other information
and let them know what your client or company is up to.
The editors of blogs are intensely engaged in the issues
they cover and will appreciate having legitimate
information shared with them.
(3) Build Your Own Blog. Say you work at a PR firm and
your client is interested in promoting free trade. Set up
a blog site on your clients behalf that allows them to
comment on the issues of the day. If the writing is good
and the opinions are strong, the blog will become popular
and you will have identified a powerful new way for your
client to communicate with the online community.
F. Gary Bivings is the Principal at The Bivings Group, a
Washington, DC-based Internet strategies firm with globally
tested and recognized expertise in public relations, issues
management and marketing. Gary can be reached at
mailto:fgb@... or via phone at (202) 835-1600.
by Pete Shinbach, APR
I was struck by one of the comments an Update reader wrote
on our Reader Poll this month. When asked about the
value of newsgroups, chat rooms and blogs, this reader
wrote, "I think theyre a way for people to spread untrue
facts." Yes, they are. And they are a way for professional
communicators to not only find out what "untrue facts" are
being bandied about but to rebut them.
But thats not the problem most communicators have with
these electronic bulletin boards. The problem is that
they dont understand their dynamics and arent comfortable
with their uncontrolled, "wild west" atmosphere. Perhaps
the scariest of this group of online discussion tools are
the blogs. Read Gary Bivings article in this issue for a
description of these. And then look at the May 16 issue
of the Online Journalism Review (http://ojr.usc.edu). Read
how Edelman Public Relations Worldwide disregarded an
interview request from a blogger and how that refusal got
Edelman lots of ink - all bad. But enough of this "sky
is falling" rationalization for using newsgroups, blogs and
chat rooms. Lets get practical.
In the past two months, rumors, suppositions and
innuendos have become the stock-in-trade of the media
and the people who depend on them for information (thats
us - you and me). Want proof? Here it is in one word:
Anthrax. Ask yourself how much of what youve seen,
heard and read about Anthrax in the past two months
has turned out to be pure hogwash. Some things have
turned out to be true. Others have been pure fiction.
Combating rumors has always been a challenge for
organizational communicators. Much time is spent
tracking down the source of the rumor and then trying
to figure out how to deal with the rumor. Today, with
the instantaneous nature of the Internet plus the
24/7 news cycle, rumors and hoaxes are taking on lives
of their own. So, here are some suggestions.
First, read "Responding to Hoaxes Online" and "Rumors of
Grace and Terror" in the October 23 and October 5 issues
of the Online Journalism Review. Next, bookmark
http://www.snopes.com. Its an excellent Web site that
lists all sorts of urban legends having to do with
everything from Britney Spears to Sara Lee to, yes,
Then, get involved. Learn how key newsgroups operate and
then start participating in the conversations going on
there. Start reading blogs. Yes, most of them arent
worth the monitors theyre printed on but, occasionally,
youll find one that is dead on. If youre in public
relations, go to http://www.online-pr.com, an excellent
compendium of PR-oriented Web sites, and look in the
Media Section for a list of news and political opinion
And finally, dip your toe in the water and start a
newsgroup, blog or chat room. Give your CEO a place
online to talk with shareowners. For other ideas, read
Gary Bivings article here or Jim Hortons November 15th
journal on the Online-PR Web site.
And a closing note to our reader who thinks newsgroups
and their ilk are places for people to spread untrue
facts. Theyre also places where a savvy communicator
can obliterate those untrue facts with true ones.
Pete spreads rumors from pete@...
by Tudor Williams, ABC
Last summer my office manager discovered instant
messaging and joined the estimated 70 million people in
North America who use IM. It was my Webmaster who put her
on to it. She lives and works 1000 miles and a long
distance phone call away. At first it was a social thing
- a way to catch up on news and have an inexpensive real
time conversation.
Then they convinced the rest of our small, virtual
business to sign up. We have three work locations and our
primary means of internal communication was by phone
(usually voice mail) and email. Now our instant
messenger service has become a core element of our
inter-office communication.
I can see which of our small staff is available and
online at any particular time. If I have a question or
need help with a decision I can instantly reach that
person even if they are on the phone or do not have their
email function open. We have reduced our email exchanges
in favor of real time, on line conversations in the
course of managing our business. Our clients were the
first beneficiaries as we became better able to
understand and meet client requests and needs faster.
Will the instant messenger become a core element of the
world of business? Without question this form of
communication will replace a large amount of email and
voice mail that is currently flying around in cyberspace.
Already IBM is reporting that IM is catching up to email
as the preferred mode of communication. The Gartner Group
is predicting that by 2005, IM will be used more often
than email.
Some interactive webcasting applications use the IM
feature that allows participants to engage in real time
discussions with other participants without interrupting
the voice discussion. One of our clients using this
technology discovered the IM feature is one of the first
features that web-casting participants like to use.
The forecasts for the use of IM technology really provide
an interesting insight into how we will do business in
the years ahead. Already 30 million Japanese people
subscribe to a cell phone service whose most popular
feature is a short messaging system similar to IM. It is
the ability to use IM through access by mobile phone or
PC that is creating the real revolution. Talk is
expensive and inefficient. IM saves you airtime and real
time and delivers the means to stay connected in a
variety of ways.
So far the majority of the 70 million users in North
America are kids. In Japan, 90% of users are adults. As
business discovers the advantages of IM over existing
chat rooms, bulletin boards and newsgroups and email, IM
will be adopted as part of the solution to clogged and
over used phone mail and email systems. IM will also
create opportunities that have not been possible with
Internet technology.
Sure, managers will raise the fears that employees will
abuse IM just as similar fears were raised with the
introduction of email and Internet access for all
employees. But smart managers and forward thinking
organizations will quickly weigh the productivity gains
against the potential losses and come to the same
conclusions as IBM and other corporations who are quickly
adopting IM. In the NetGain poll last month, one or our
respondents reported, "My company also uses Instant
Messenger to cut down on email storage".
IM not only cuts down on storage but also enables real
time conversations and discussions that you can discard
or save to your hard drive. It is faster than email and
much more efficient than leaving a voice mail message
when your contact is on the phone. As cell phone service
advances, IM will become an easy cheap way of
communicating with our business colleagues, friends and
IM is an idea and feature whose time has arrived and our
working and personal worlds are about to change
profoundly yet again.
Send a message to Tudor at tudor@...
Next months issue of Update is going to focus on writing.
Its a topic thats high on the list of things all
professional communicators - internal and external -
want to know more about and seem to worry most about. So,
wed like to know more about how you and your organization
are managing your online writing.
Please take a few minutes to complete our monthly Update
Reader Poll. Youll find it at
Well compile the answers and report back in our December
And please let us know if theres a topic youd like to
see covered in upcoming issues or if theres just
something you want to get off your chest. You can send
your thoughts to us at info@....
And dont forget our Update Reader Poll. Its at
and should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
Once again, our Update Reader Polls results are a mixed
bag. Last month, we wanted to know how youre using the
parts of the Internet and your intranets that give your
readers the ability to communicate with each other
directly with no filters, editing or oversight. We wanted
to know about your use of newsgroups, chat rooms and
Judging from what you told us, the PR, IR and other
external communicators are using these services far more
than their corporate, internal communications peers.
Newsgroups and bulletin boards for customers (100%) and
shareowners (80%) far exceeded the top-ranked internal
communications applications: chat rooms for departments
and business units (57%) and executive-employee chat rooms
Perhaps the most interesting thing we learned from your
responses was that most of your companies (72%) are
allowing employees to post messages on the Internets
newsgroups, bulletin boards and chat rooms. However, less
than half of you (42%) have any written policy concerning
who can represent the company on those newsgroups,
bulletin boards and chat rooms.
Nobody seemed to know what blogs are but weve taken care
of that with Gary Bivings article in this issue.
Finally, there was no consensus about the usefulness of
these interactive tools. One of our readers wrote, "Chat
rooms have proven valuable for direct employee-management
communication, especially where we have several locations
per unit." Another wrote, "While there is certainly a
high level of ax grinding there, its helpful to be able
to read between the lines to determine if a real problem
exists or if people simply enjoy venting over trivial
NetGain is a group of high-end communications
consultants who work with leading companies and
associations to help them achieve strategic communication
objectives using online technology. NetGain delivers
onsite consulting, phone consulting and one-day seminars
at the client's offices. For information, send email to
To find out more about NetGain, send an email message to
Jim Rink
AAA Michigan
1 Auto Club Drive, Dearborn, Mich. 48072
voice 313.336.1513 fax 313.336.0986
- This month's NetGain update:
NetGain Update
October 2002: Communicating Globally
Published by NetGain: We build the blueprint for eCommunications.
What's inside...
1. Communicating Globally Is Talking The Talk
2. Global Communication -- A Confusion Of Meaning
3. And Now A Word From Our Shameless Commerce Department
4. The Translation Conundrum
5. We Asked And You Told Us: Going Global
6. We'd Like Your Views About Using Wireless Technology
7. This Month, NetGain Consultants...
8. About NetGain
9. About This Newsletter
1. Communicating Globally Is Talking The Talk
by Pete Shinbach, APR
Saying you're a global communicator doesn't make you a global communicator.
At least that seems to be the message most of the big PR firms are sending
from their Web sites.
For some reason, there's been a flood of e-mails, faxes and direct mailers
crossing my desk recently inviting me to spend big bucks to attend
conferences and seminars about global crisis communications, global
investor relations, global this and global that. So, out of curiosity, I
did some off-the-cuff and very unscientific research. Here's what I found.
Most of the top 10 PR firms have something on their Web sites that
proclaims their globalness. Words like "worldwide," "international" and, of
course, the G-word are littered across their Web landscape. And with only
two exceptions, one of which is an agency that has been developing its
non-U.S. sites for more than six months, all those words are in English.
All the sites are in English. One agency even highlighted one of its
Spanish PR programs on its home page. Of course, the proclamation was in
English, not Español.
On the corporate side, things are better. Most large corporate sites have
mirrored, foreign language sites. One of the better is General Electric's
which has 37 "country" sites, many of which are bilingual. AT&T takes a
somewhat different approach, integrating its "country" sites into its
corporate site. But not all's rosy. Take a look at General Motors and see
if you can find their "country" sites. You'll have to look under each car
model's micro-site. Now take a look at what GM does with its Arab-language
sites. It uses Arabic words as design elements, relying on English to
communicate with its Saudi, Kuwaiti and other Arab-speaking customers.
So, my first question is "how are you going to communicate with French,
Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or other non-English audiences if you're not
communicating in French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or whatever that
audiences' native language is?"
But there's more to online communications than language. There's design,
especially Web site design. And, for the most part, those organizations
that have multi-lingual sites don't have multi-cultural sites. Their
Israeli site looks like their Finnish site which looks like all the other
"country" sites. While this isn't something that's going to send you to
jail without collecting $200, it's something that we need to pay more
attention to. Take China for example. In China, white is the color of
mourning. That's why companies like Monsanto and Ford don't use white
backgrounds to their China Web sites. Unfortunately, that's not true with
most other U.S.-based sites intended for Chinese audiences. Their whiteness
is akin to publishing a North American or European site replete with a
black background and a somber funereal dirge soundtrack.
So, to the 40-percent of you who said, on our monthly Reader Poll, that you
ran your online material past foreign nationals for whom it's intended:
congratulations. Then, there are the 40-percent who said they rely on their
own understanding of foreign cultures when publishing offshore Web sites. I
hope your luck holds out.
You can reach Pete at mailto:pete@...
2. Global Communication -- A Confusion Of Meaning
by Tudor Williams, ABC
A casual search of the Internet for the terms "global communication" brings
back a variety of sites. Few of these sites use the term "global
communication" in the context generally used by professional communicators
(i.e., communication strategies that influence audiences diverse in
culture, race, location and language).
Very near the top of the search list is a site that proudly displays what
looks like someone's back garden in Wisconsin. It has satellite dishes
scattered throughout some shrubbery. The site actually describes the scene
as an "antenna farm". It offers services that include Canadian TV
programming as a desirable option for US viewers because it is protected
from US media intrusion, and Canada has a world class home grown film and
television industry and the benefits of ties with the British Commonwealth.
While Canada does indeed have a vibrant film and television industry, it
was news to me (a Canadian) that Canadian TV is protected form US media
intrusion. The company's owners naturally and aptly named their company
Global Communications in recognition of this apparently global reach of
their services.
Then there is the site offering me a cable modem kit for Macintosh and
another, GlobalCommunication (one word), based in the Etna Valley in Sicily
that offers total e-business solutions entirely in Italian.
When I add the word "online" to the search, a new site goes to the top of
the list -- LaborNet -- describing itself as global online communication
for a democratic independent labor movement. With the exception of a link
to the Canadian Postal Workers Union, the site content is US-based. There
are also links to a few European countries Korea, Japan and the UK, where
each of the LaborNet sites is in the national language (the UK site address
is actually LabourNet).
Nowhere in the search, does a site appear that deals with the sort of
global communication that communicators talk about. At least LaborNet
approximates what professional communicators would consider being global
communication. Or does it?
Do professional communicators have a common view of global communication or
are we referring to a concept that has multiple meanings and nuances? Or is
it simply that no one has yet built a business around this concept and
offered it on the Web?
The response to the NetGain poll in September 2002 suggests a variety of
views among the respondents. Their internal and external websites are
barely multilingual in that they are published in one, two or maybe three
languages -- and those languages are the predominant languages found in
North America, English, Spanish, French and Chinese.
The finding that most intrigued me was the response that indicated a
significant number of respondents believed their site content to be
When we communicate with a global audience (i.e. multi-lingual, racial, and
cultural) how do we know we are culturally neutral and is that, in fact, a
viable or desirable strategy? Or what about global communication to a
uni-lingual group scattered throughout the world? Is it appropriate to be
culturally neutral and linguistically homogenous for that audience?
I am of the school of thought that believes that communication should be
targeted and customized for each unique audience.
If those audiences can only be reached in two or more languages then the
content must be translated in the local area. For example, in Canada,
French copy intended for a Quebec audience should originate in Quebec. If
our intended audience lives and works in a variety of cultures, the copy
must appeal to the values, traditions and mores of each culture. If the
intended audience lives and works in many locations around the world, then
the communication must relate to each circumstance for meaning to be conveyed.
I am not an advocate of culturally neutral communication strategies. As a
person of British birth, Canadian citizenship and with clients in, at last
count, a half a dozen countries, cultures and language groups, my vision is
to help my clients communicate with their customers, their employees, their
investors in unique and culturally rich ways.
Let us never let anyone mistake our global communication as a technology
solution or a neutral, meaningless strategy.
Tudor lives in Canada but email reaches him at mailto:tudor@...
3. And Now A Word From Our Shameless Commerce Department
What's the difference between NetGain's audits and the audits done by those
big technology and communications firms? You can understand our's. We're
not computer programmers and our offices aren't in some high-rise Midtown
Manhattan or Bay Area office suite. So, if you're looking for someone to
help you make sure your intranet, Web site or other online communications
are what you and your management expect and you don't mind plain English,
simple sentences and suggestions that make sense, let us know. We're at
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
4. The Translation Conundrum
by Shel Holtz, ABC
About 10 years ago, I managed a communications department for a
pharmaceutical company. Among our other chores was the publication of a
monthly all-employee magazine. We distributed the publication to several
countries. In most of them, English was not the language employees spoke.
Our budget would not permit multiple editions of the magazine (which would
not have been feasible anyway, since in most cases, we would have printed
only a hundred or so copies in each language). Equally unlikely was a
magazine with each article in six languages. (If you've ever flown Air
Canada, you know how confusing a magazine can be when every article is
published in only TWO languages.)
Our solution was to produce abstracts of each article, one paragraph
summaries that captured the key message. These were written in German,
Japanese, French, Spanish, and Italian. But even with only a paragraph
translated into five languages, we still faced the challenge of accurate
translations that didn't cost too much produced in a timely manner every
Not too long after that, I tried my first translation software package. The
folks in Puerto Rico, where I sent a document translated into Spanish by
the software, had a good laugh over the pathetic but amusing translation.
Since then, machine translation (MT, as it's called) has gotten better, but
not good enough. One representative of an MT company told me the software
isn't designed to manage translations, but rather to handle the first pass.
"It reduces the amount of work by a translator by as much as 80%," he said,
"which means you save 80% of the cost of the translation."
Yeah, okay, except now I have to run the translation software, THEN hire a
translator, wait for his work to come back, then pay him.
The point of this trip down memory lane is that, despite all the great uses
to which we put computers, translation isn't yet one of them. With great
speed we are able to communicate across the miles, but the process of
producing multiple versions of the same material in different languages is
pretty much the same as it was 10, even 20 years ago. I was on a tour
recently of the CNN studios in Atlanta, where the tour guide proudly
announced that CNN.com is the network's fastest channel for delivering
breaking news. But only in English.
So much for global communications? In France, the law says you MUST produce
a French version of a Web site, even if the audience is predominantly
American. And don't get me started on Quebec.
I am asked, in e-mails and phone calls and face-to-face encounters, how to
address the need to translate as fast as Web pages can be produced. And the
answer is (no drum roll, please) that there is no answer. We can cobble
together interim solutions, but MT technology simply hasn't caught up with
the Net.
My answer usually goes something like this: "Unless you have to comply with
a law that demands a translation, publish it in English and hope for the
best. English has become the language of both business and the Net, and
even though it makes you look like an arrogant American, odds are most of
your audience will be able to read it."
The truth of this solution was borne out during a trip I took to Slovenia
last year. Everybody there -- even the hotel chambermaids -- spoke English.
I asked one of my hosts why everyone's English was so good. "We watch TV,"
she said, "we go to movies, and we listen to music. It's all in English."
She never took a class in English. But after spending her whole life
reading Slovenian subtitles and listening to the actors speak English, she
just picked it up. So it is in much of the world.
Yeah, I know, it's a lousy answer. It's the only one I've got. Until, that
is, MT catches up. May it be soon.
Contact Shel -- in English -- at mailto:shel@...
5. We Asked And You Told Us: Going Global
Our monthly reader poll this month told us some interesting things about
the ways you're communicating with your global audiences. First, you're
doing it. Of course, you have to since most of you who responded to the
poll have multilingual audiences. Aside from those of you from Canada,
which requires bi-lingual Web sites (French & English), at least half of
you have non-English speaking employees and media who are fluent in Spanish
and French. About half of you (44%) who have multi-lingual online
audiences, use translation services for your English written content.
However, only half of you who use these services are getting quick
turnaround. It's taking more than a week for the other half to get its
material translated and posted online.
We found it interesting that almost three-quarters (73%) of you publish
your Web sites in a language other than English, but less than half (44%)
publish your e-newsletters in a non-English language. We assume that's
either because you don't publish e-newsletters or do but only in English.
In either case, it's probably best to reconsider what you're doing to reach
your non-English speaking audiences online.
When asked how you handle cultural differences for global audiences on your
public Web sites, there was no consensus. Somewhat less than half (45%)
have different sites with unique content for each cultural audience. About
a quarter (27%) try to keep their Web content culturally neutral and the
remainder (18%) don't bother to deal with online cultural issues at all.
Likewise, there wasn't any consensus of what major issues are being
confronted when dealing with dealing with a global communications market.
When asked that, the answers we got back ranged from keeping information
up-to-date to security to language & design to an overabundance of U.S.
jargon & attitudes.
6. We'd Like Your Views About Using Wireless Technology
A few months ago, Update was devoted to remote communications. Next month's
issue will be about a topic somewhat similar to that one: wireless
communications. Whether it be Web-enabled cell phones or Palm Pilots
equipped with modems, wireless communications is a booming business. But
how's it being used for business communications. That's what we'd like to
know from you. How are you and your organization using wireless
communications? You can tell us and everyone else who reads Update by
taking a few minutes to fill out our monthly Update Reader Poll. It's
available - wirelessly or otherwise - at
It will only take about 5 minutes. So click or tap on over to
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?E3PWN41YBHLEC9J5MECRTNCE for this
month's poll about Wireless Communications.
Jim Rink
Senior Contributing Editor
AAA Michigan
1 Auto Club Drive
Dearborn, MI 48126
- From NetGain:
NetGain Update
April 2003: Performance Measures for Communicators
Published by NetGain: We build the blueprint for eCommunications.
What's inside...
1. Measuring More Than Jelly On The Wall
2. Getting Endorsements Through Linking Strategies
3. It's How Much You Don't Spend That Counts
4. What Are You Worth To Your Company? Find Out In Our Next Webinar
5. This Month, NetGain Consultants...
6. About NetGain
7. About This Newsletter
1. Measuring More Than Jelly On The Wall
by Tudor Williams, ABC
Someone once commented that measuring communication was like nailing jelly to the wall. But it is not. At least you can see the jelly on the wall and can watch it as it slips slowly away from the nail. If we continue the analogy, we measure communication, not by catching the jelly but by assessing the stain the jelly left on the wall -- how much of it stuck and how long it stayed there. In other words, we are measuring the outcomes of what happened without visibly observing the output of the event itself.
For many years, organizations were content to measures the outputs of communication, how many newsletters were published, how many "impressions" or column inches were created, or the size of the audience reached. But in a world where accountability matters, it is the outcomes that are important, the extent to which we were successful in achieving our goal. The output is but the means to achieve successful outcomes not success itself.
The currency of communication is influence and the outcomes we seek through influence are changes of behaviors and attitudes in support of our cause. The business performance of communication is measured by the economic, social or political impacts of these changes. The performance of the professional communicator is measured by the success of the strategies devised to change attitudes and behaviors.
The measures we use are found in the outcomes we seek. We set out to influence attitudes and behaviors to achieve one or more of a number of outcomes.
* We create alignment of audiences with our vision.
* We build the support of audiences for the corporate goals we set.
* We foster commitment of audiences to our priorities, services and products as we earn their loyalty.
* We strive for optimum productivity and profitability.
The political arena is a good example of creating alignment, building support and fostering loyalty. A good politician first builds awareness and understanding for the cause. Then the politician develops the support of the constituency for the cause. At the end of the day, success is measured by how many votes are actually cast in favor of the cause. Votes come from commitment, shared values and loyalty that evolve from the awareness, knowledge and support gained.
Along the way, we measure how well our audiences understand our cause, the degree of support we have and the satisfaction earned with our deliverables. All these measures are indicators that tell you how you are performing. And success is the outcome measured by the decision to purchase, the decision to support or the decision to join.
Three critical success factors are emerging that are primary drivers of performance in communication today:
1. Strategic focus -- building support and commitment for our strategic priorities
2. Credibility -- consistency and accuracy in the way we present ourselves and our organizations to the world
3. Respect -- the trust and accountability in the relationships we build.
Where performance counts for more than a jelly stain on the wall is in each of these three areas. It is here that many organizations and leaders are struggling today. It is in these three areas, strategic focus, credibility and respect, that communication is measured as the core of successful strategy.
Reach Tudor at mailto:tudor@...
2. Getting Endorsements Through Linking Strategies
by Pete Shinbach, APR
In public and investor relations, we spend a lot of time chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, also known as the third-party endorsement. Entire media and analyst relations programs are built around getting that trade magazine, Web site or Wall Street guru to say favorable things about our products, management, stock or organization. And, for some of us, our performance goals, and the compensation that's tied to achieving them, are measured by the quantity and, in most cases, quality of those third-party endorsements. But they're one-shot deals. You get a hit in the paper, a mention on the evening news or some snippet in an influential blog and then have to start all over again with a new pitch or angle that'll whet the reporter or analyst's appetite. Wouldn't it be nice to have a way to establish relationships with the most influential Web sites, e-mail news digests, blogs and other online publications so you don't have to always be churning out new ways to get your messages in front of the right eyeballs? Guess what? There is.
It's called a linking strategy and it's something that too few online communicators have as part of their online programs. Basically, a linking strategy is a systematic way to build good links from someone else's site to yours. If you do it right, that "someone else" is going to be one of those third-party endorsers whose good words you're seeking. So, aside from that, why invest the time to develop a productive linking strategy? Consider these five reasons:
1. Most people find Web sites by following links, either from search engines or from other Web sites. If the people you're trying to reach see a link to your site on a Web site they trust, what does that say about you?
2. Search engines, like Google, give sites with good inbound and outbound links higher rankings on their search result lists. So, the more sites that link to yours and the more sites you link to, the higher your ranking by the search engines.
3. Assuming that you're producing really excellent content on your site (your content is excellent, isn't it?), others will want to link to you because that means they won't have to reinvent wheels, producing their own similar content.
4. If you integrate a linking component in your overall online communications plans, you'll be forced to ask yourself an extraordinarily important question: "Why would anyone want to link to my site?" Being able to answer that will help clarify your online value proposition? Not being able to answer it means a trip back to the drawing board. Regardless, one of the reasons anyone would want to link to your site is because your site has outstanding content.
5. Finally and most importantly, you'll become part of the club, the network, the community. Your site or newsletter will become one of those sources your influentials will refer to when they need trusted, up-to-date, verifiable information.
All of which leaves two questions. First, how do you execute a linking strategy? We'll get to that in the June & July issues when we'll tackle the issues of managing and benchmarking communications strategies.
Second, what's a linking strategy have to do with performance measurement? Consider that a well thought-out linking strategy can
* Validate assumptions made at the beginning of the year about which media sources are the most important to your organizational goals and help identify the more important Web sites to go after as third-party endorsers;
* Show you how consumers, investors, job applicants, customers and other employees are finding your Web site, thereby providing you with one more way to measure how well your online communications program is performing; and
* Complement your other online initiatives like e-mail newsletters, search engine optimization strategies, online advertising and promotion and Web-based discussion forums.
So, if the hyperlink is the key to the Web, which it is, doesn't it make sense to capitalize on the potential of this important tool? Committing to developing and maintaining a good strategic linking program is the first step to creating a powerful communications tool that can produce highly measurable business and online communications performance results.
You can reach Pete at mailto:pete@...
3. It's How Much You Don't Spend That Counts
by Shel Holtz, ABC
As a measurement evangelist, I can spout off any number of reasons and means to measure the effectiveness of your performance as a communicator. Company management, however, keeps coming back with one question: What's the impact on the bottom line?
There are two basic approaches to answering this question:
1. The impact of communication cannot be identified on a balance sheet. Communication produces intangible results. Internally, it generates improved productivity and heightened employee commitment. Externally, increased awareness and favorable perceptions result from good communication. Communicators should be evaluated based on these valid measures and not the bottom line.
2. If you acknowledge the bottom-line value of reputation, you can determine the value of communication by assessing its role in improving your organization's reputation. (This is the approach taken by The Reputation Institute with its Reputation Quotient; you can read more at http://www.reputationinstitute.com.)
There is a third approach that can be more meaningful than either of these, particularly if you are appealing to the bean-counters (or people with bean-counter mentalities) who need to understand the value of communication in dollars and cents. That approach is called "cost avoidance."
Here's how it works. In 1992, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) assumed leadership of a three-year-old boycott of Mitsubishi, the Japanese industrial giant. The boycott ran eight years as Mitsubishi attempted to fight perceptions that the company's ecological policies were disastrous. In order to put the boycott behind them, the company capitulated on several points. Ultimately, the company spent about $6 billion, according to an estimate from American City Business Journals. Some of that money was spent fighting the boycott, most on agreements like reducing the use of paper and packaging in products like the 1 million TV sets it sells in the U.S. each year.
I don't care how big your company is. Six billion has gotta hurt.
Now compare Mitsubishi's experience to that of a consortium of nearly 20 companies that spent much of the end of the 20th century exploring for natural gas in the Camisea region of the Peruvian rainforest. This group spent nearly $250,000 on a Website that went into excruciating detail about the project and even offered a message board where visitors could debate the merits of the effort. The PR people who built the site worked with the Rainforest Action Network to ensure the site addressed all the questions and issues environment-minded visitors might have. The result: Not a whisper of protest over the project, which was ultimately abandoned as economically unfeasible.
Now compare. On the one hand, you could spend $6 billion fighting and then giving in to a boycott. On the other, you can spend a quarter of a million explaining your organization's actions to those who would boycott in terms they understand and appreciate. How's this for expressing the value of your efforts: "Thanks to our communications, our company didn't have to spend $5.75 billion."
Okay, so that's a stretch. But the point is valid. Communications don't make money for the company, but they can certainly help the company avoid having to spend it -- not only on boycotts, but also fighting legislation or regulation, labor actions, bad press, lawsuits, and a host of other costly activities. (You could even add that to the value of your improved reputation.)
The Camisea case study is particularly intriguing since RAN is currently opposing a new natural gas project in the Camisea. The focus is mainly on Citigroup, the project's financial advisor. A search of the Citigroup site reveals not one word about the project. The site of Hunt Oil refers to the project but says nothing about environmental concerns. You have to wonder how much they'll wind up spending that good communications might have offset.
Reach Shel at mailto:shel@...
4. What Are You Worth To Your Company? Find Out In Our Next Webinar
"Define Your Value, Build Your Credibility" is the topic of the next NetGain Webinar, which begins on May 12. Subtitled "Measuring business performance for internal communication," the Webinar will help you identify and measure precisely what communication is adding to the bottom line.
Register at http://snurl.com/value
Get details at http://webinar.holtz.com/synopsis/measure.htm.
5. This Month, NetGain Consultants...
* Continued work on intranet and Web assessment and development for a major Canadian healthcare district.
* Agreed to provide strategic planning for a global pharmaceutical company.
6. About NetGain
NetGain is a group of high-end communications consultants who work with leading companies and associations to help them achieve strategic communication objectives using online technology.
NetGain delivers onsite and online consulting and professional development programs. For information, send e-mail to mailto:info@....
To find out more about NetGain, send an e-mail message to mailto:info@....
7. About This Newsletter
Was this issue of the NetGain Update useful? Did it give you a new idea or two you can use to improve the way you use electronic information tools? Maybe even a new service you can offer your clients or employer to help them succeed. If it did, we've succeeded. If it didn't, just wait until the next issue.
NetGain UPDATE is a monthly newsletter published by NetGain, a consortium of independent communications technology consultants. Each article in this newsletter is copyrighted by its author. Feel free to share the NetGain Update with your associates, clients, managers or anyone else you think would benefit from it. And remember, anyone can sign up for a free subscription at our Web site, http://www.netgain.org.
* To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to mailto:UNSUBSCRIBE-NGUpdate@...-publisher.com.
* For more information on the newsletter and your subscription options, send an e-mail message to mailto:HELP-NGUpdate@...-publisher.com.
Jim Rink
1705 Mansfield
Birmingham, MI 48009
(248) 792-2247 hm
(313) 336-1513 wk
(586) 946-0049 cell
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