Déjà Vu

I feel like I am in deja vu right now.  Three years ago during my senior of college I studied abroad for 3 months in Cologne, Germany.  I stayed with a host family just outside the main part of the city.  I ate dinner with them almost every night.  I had a nice room, desk, and my laptop.  It was a short distance to my school where I listened to my iPod along the way every weekday morning.  I took the KVB light rail and underground to get around the city.  I ate out for lunch on occasion.  I took advantage of my location and traveled on the weekends.

Fast forward to 2010.  I have lived in Eugene for the past few years but now am currently in Portland.  I am staying with family just southwest of downtown.  I eat dinner with them almost every night.  I have a nice room and the same laptop.  It is a bit longer of a distance, to work this time, but none-the-less I still have an iPod to listen along the way every weekday morning.  I take the Tri-Met light-rail and bus to get around the city.  I eat out for lunch on occasion.  Finally, I back to Eugene on the weekends to see my girlfriend.  

Now they are two different paths, but so many elements are the same.  One was for living in a different country, for only a short period of time.  Now I am finally back home which I hope will be for a long, long time.  

Although I would love to visit Cologne again.

I'm Coming Back

I have been quiet for a long time now and have kept this blog dilapidated, but I have decided to restart my blogging efforts in the wake of recent changes in my life. So keep your eyes out for layout changes, new features, and a new content focus.

eMarketing Summit & InnoTech Conference: Day 2

The eMarketing Summit at InnoTech Conference kicked off great yesterday and I wrote a recap of Day 1. Day 2 was even better as the exhibit hall opened up. Some really cool IT, internet, and marketing companies were represented. One of the coolest things was that touch screen coffee table. I actually got to play with it instead of only seeing it on the internet. They day also featured more presentations at the summit. Here's a recap of what was discussed today:

• The morning started with reps from Microsoft demonstrating Windows 7. I've seen the new UI changes, but it was cool to see the IT/enterprise changes.
• The first summit talk was canceled, so in the second session was Jake Kuramoto of Oracle, Kelly Feller (@kellyrfeller) of Intel, and Dan Divens of Tripwire, Inc. They led a round table discussion of companies fostering online communities and how ti make them successful.
• After lunch, it was the keynote speach by Rahaf Harfoush (@rahafharfoush). She was on Barack Obama's new media team, running social media campaign to help him win the election. She discussed those strategies and the insights gained from the campaigns. I might make a whole post from this.
• The next session featured Brian Massey (@bmassey) trying to answer the question "how is your social media conversion rate?" It was a first-run for this presenetation and he did a great job outlining how to measure these campaigns.
• Next was another round table on the topic of social media marketing (I am starting to sense a trend here, no?) This was led by Carri Bugbee (@CarriBugbee), Kent Lewis, and John Cooney. They gave tips on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook marketing campaigns.
• The last session of the conference was the Hot Seat Panel, where Hallie Janssen of Anvil Media, Kent Schnepp of EngineWorks, Lisa Williams of Media Forte Marketing, and Scott Hendison of SearchCommander dissected two different websites. They took a look at the current site in front of the audience and gave tips on how to improve them (optimization, keywords, site content, usability)

The two day conference was a great introduction into the industry. I haven't even been doing this work for a year between my two different jobs. There is still a lot I can learn about analytics, seo, and sem. This was a great way to meet people and find out about the latest strategies. Portland proved itself to be a hub for social media and internet marketing. There are a lot of great minds and companies doing some great work. I look forward to more events in the future.

InnoTech Conference & eMarketing Summit: Day 1

So I am still trying to digest all of the great things from day 1 at the 6th annual InnoTech Conference at the Oregon Convention Center. It's my first real time attending an industry conference. InnoTech is the region's premier business and technology innovation conference and expo, where the leading minds of the industry gather to discuss the latest in our ever-changing tech world.

Parallel to the conference is the 5th annual eMarketing summit led by Kent Lewis, president of Anvil Media, Inc. (@kentlewis). This two-day event is where internet marketing professionals can learn the latest marketing strategies from industry leaders. It's two days of techy, savy, social-media mayhem!

Day one was filled with insightful and informative information on internet marketing strategies. Topics ranged from customer engagement to corporate blogging. Here's a rundown of who's who in the tech world and what they had to say:

• The first session featured Mike Caplan and James Rice (@jamesrice) discussed how to engage customers in a fragmented world. It's all about people having micro-identities and trying to reach them wisely, in long-term relationships. They own your brand.
• Next was Eric Peterson (@erictpeterson). He made the relationship between engaging customers and how to effectively measure success from that.
• The third session featured Rich Rosen, the founder of ROSEN, a global consultancy firm specializing in in transforming marketing and advertising campaigns into cost-effective business models. His session talked about the combination of brand and direct marketing, and how that can lead into successful online presence.
• Next was David Mihm, COO of GetListed.org, who discussed the latest in local search marketing strategies. Key take-away here: GET LISTED!!! Google Local Business Center, Yahoo Local, or even on the Universal Business Listing. These are essential steps to take and drive customers to your business, even if you don't have a website.
• The fifth session featured an all-star blogger panel including Rick Turoczy (@turoczy), Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb (@marshallk), and Josh Bancroft on Intel (@jabancroft). The three held an open discussion about the pros and cons of corporate blogs.
  
• To end the day was tips on implementing a successful online strategy. It was led by Dylan Boyd (@dtboyd) of eROI, Brian Massey (@bmassey) of Conversion Sciences. This was catch-all session that summed up a lot of great tips.
  

These are some really great minds in the world in internet marketing and social media. It was great to hear their thoughts and learn from them. Tomorrow will feature more informative session from the eMarketing summit, plus the full InnoTech exhibit hall and lectures. So much to take in from today, and 3 times as much tomorrow!!! Another full update will follow!

Sprint Gives a Shout-out to Twitter

Sprint released a great new commercial this week that demonstrates the world we live in today. In it, they reference Twitter and that "26% of you have no idea what this means".

Here's the commercial:


It's great that Sprint is giving recognition to Twitter. Although it's already been in mainstream for a while. News anchors use it and both John Stewart and Stephen Colbert have joked about it.

Now all the statistics in the commercial are fictional, but I like the commercial because it's still somewhat true. The amount of information going out in the world is staggering and the shear volume of communication we send out through whatever method is amazing. These are some good commercials.

Viral Marketing: A Good Lesson

Can brands manufacture viral popularity?  That's what Sun Products Corp. tried to do in last night's episode of "The Celebrity Apprentice."  The two teams of celebrities had to create a internet viral video for their All Detergent brand.  The results were less than stellar.  But I wouldn't put all the blame on the teams.

One video consisted of custom motorcycle builder Jesse James being scrubbed down of all the grease and grime by 3 little people dressed as the All bottles.  It was actually not that bad, kinda funny, and they certainly included that look of ameteurism with raw editing, awkward scene cuts, and "nervous" acting.  It looked like they were aiming for "viral video."



The other team went in a different direction, aimed for sexual innuendo, and never really got the idea of a viral video nor used the product properly. Essentially they made a joke around parents using "laundry" as a codeword for sex to say around the children. After first denying the husband, played by Clint Black, she comes back later that night revealing a skimpy little lingerie piece. Clint gives us the punchline with "Oh no thanks honey. It was a small load. I took care of it myself." Think about it...Yeah.

Suffice to say, the All executives didn't like either video. They thought the Jesse James video was clever, but not right for their demographic. In the end, neither team won the challenge and two people were sent home. However, I can't put all the blame on the celebrities for making bad videos.

Nobody is going to know All's target market better then All Detergent. But I think the All executives were looking at the wrong medium in order reach that demographic (Young women who happen to have children...not "Moms"). First when you think of viral videos, you think of "Chocolate Rain" or the Numa Numa guy.  I don't think moms are going to be flocking online to see Tom Cruise "kill" Oprah.

If they really wanted a viral video, they should have looked at past successes of the Dove Evolution video, Nike's Touch of Gold, or Gatorade's ball girl.  These were viral videos done the right way.  All's first mistake was asking for significant branding and product placement in the video.  People will immediately recognize that a "video" is just a commercial.  You can barely see the Gatorade bottle when the ball girl sits down.

What All was aiming for was a clever, cute internet advertising campaign, not viral video.  And that's exactly what they got in the end anyways.  If you go to their website you'll see two videos from Joan and Melissa Rivers.  But they are far from viral.  They are just "cute" commercials.

I'm sure not many people are watching the Celebrity Apprentice that much anymore, so I tried to spare you in this post.  But what are your thoughts?  Do you think All could have reached their target market through viral video?

The Full Montey

It has been an exciting week for us because we now have our very own cat, Montey. It was a gift to my girlfriend from her dad, and I guess I dropped the ball on that (I was going to get her one after I got my first paycheck from my new job). We got him from Lane County Animal Services, and he is a beautiful Norwegian forest cat.


His name actually fits him quite well because my grandfather's name is LaMonte, but most people call him Montey. He has been a very entertaining cat so far, and as always it has been an adjustment caring for him. He will wake up at 4am meowing. And today, he was acting all tweaked out and running around the apartment. I suspect it's the catnip.


Here he is trying on our shoes, still a little druged up after the neuter surgery.

A Look Back

So today marks the first full month in my new position at Hero-Web.  (Sweet!  That's almost half my stay at my old job!).  I have nothing against my old position and it was unfortunate that the economy affected their situation, laying off 5 others that same day.  I was starting to get comfortable with my work and co-workers, so the timing was bad.  I had a budget down, paying off bills, and starting to save.  And 3 months was not enough time to build effective experiences (all those significant, measurable results that job descriptions ask for).

But luckily for me, 3 months was also a short enough time that my job-hunting skills were still fresh in my mind.  I went to action the day after I got laid-off.  I went to the career center in the business school at UO, I updated my resume, and began looking for new jobs.  I had severance to live off and was willing to take part-time work.  

Sometimes it was stressful, especially getting laid off knowing that my girlfriend's lease was up and we were still looking for a place to move in together.  It took me a while to find anything, and I was even starting to look in Portland.  Fortunately, I was able to find this new job on Craigslist.  It looked like a good opportunity for me to stay in the same field of work.  

My first month at Hero-Web has been very interesting.  There is a huge world out there to the internet marketing industry.  This job is going to give me great first hand experiences and I know that I am going to be learning a lot.  I get to work directly with clients (small business) - improving their search results, increasing the ecommerce revenues, and eventually working on social media campaigns if they choose.  Even in these tough economic times, it is great to see that small business are looking to the internet and hiring marketing services.  Hopefully things turn around and everyone is doing better.

Soccer and the Stimulus

The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a two part stimulus package: expansion of Major League Soccer into Seattle, Vancouver and Portland, and the possibility of a high speed railway that connects the three cities. If you consider the connection between the two, the future for this region looks really good.

The Soccer

The first part of this stimulus is already in effect. MLS has seen significant success during its span and thus expanding teams rapidly. But they have been cautious, avoiding the mismanaged expansion that ultimately plagued the former National American Soccer League in the 1970s. There have actually been many smart moves that have kept them in business, and those smart moves led to Vancouver, British Columbia being awarded the 17th team in the league, the Seattle Sounders winning their inaugural match 3-0, and Portland, Oregon being awarded the 18th team in the league.

During the days of both the NASL and the United Soccer League, these three cities featured a storied rivalry. In 2004, fans of the three teams established a derby called the Cascadia Cup which rewarded to the club that finished with the best record in the season series between the three teams. As a young member of the Timbers Army, one of my favorite songs goes a little like this. Starting in 2011, that rivalry will once again be renewed. The Cascadia Cup will be up for grabs, and it should make for some exciting matches.

The Stimulus

Everyone knows about the economy and the stimulus package, and how its hopefully going to help turn this country around. One of the ideas on how to use that stimulus money is to re-ignite the idea of building high speed rail lines in various parts of US.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the proposed regions. And there is support out there to build a high speed rail line that would connect Eugene, OR to Vancouver, BC. One would be able to travel from Eugene to Seattle in 2-1/2 hours, then Seattle to Vancouver in the same time.
There are so many benefits from a project like this: thousands of jobs that would last years, increased ability to travel to work, commerce between cities, and so much more.

But also think about how this could impact the Northwest Derby. Fans would be able to travel in a more efficient way - cheaper than flights and faster than driving. And the effects could be huge: stadiums would have the ability to sell more tickets to visiting fans (games could also sell out easier), hotel reservations would increase, and restaurants could be packed. All three cities could see a huge boost to their tourism revenues because of the high speed rail.

Obviously it would take a while to get there. But if the matters were set in motion within the next year or two and construction started by 2011, so much good could come of this.

The Portland Timbers are joining the MLS!

Today was a wonderful day for the city of Portland. At a press conference on the second floor of Hilton hotel in downtown Portland, Major League soccer announced that it has chosen my beloved city to be the 18th team in the premiere soccer league in North America. The Portland Timbers, keeping their same name as the current USL squad, will join the Vancouver Whitecaps and start play in the 2011 season.

Now, I know that I certainly can't be as excited as some other fans, especially those in the Timbers Army. There are some many Portlanders that have been cheering for the boys in green ever since the old NASL days. I wasn't even alive then. I can't even take pride in the team once it reformed in 2001 in the USL.

I know, I really sound like a fan. But please, stay with me. I only recently started liking soccer. I used to be one of those naive sports fans that never gave soccer a single chance - saying that the game is boring; that the players are girls and flop all the time. My brother gave me the hardest time because of it, mostly since he has played soccer his entire life.

For some reason, I finally came around. I guess because I was studying German in college, and wanted to root for the German national team in the 2006 World Cup, which was partly hosted by them. I was hooked ever since.

In 2007, I started following the Portland Timbers. It was exciting, that when I finally came around on the beautiful sport, there was a team in my favorite city in the world. It was only unfortunate that they weren't even in the top league in the US. My first live professional soccer match was the Timbers second round playoff game. I won my ticket from a radio contest.

I have to make something clear though. After the Timbers, there are two other teams I root for. The first is Chelsea. I know they are hated. But after all that time hating soccer, when I finally decided to start watching it, the very first game I ever saw on TV was a Chelsea match. I just stuck to the team. I didn't have anyone in my ear telling me no, and no bias against them.

The third team I root for is 1. FC Cologne. In fall of 2007 I studied abroad in Germany, and lived in Cologne for three months. I got to witness first hand a soccer match in Europe. The stadium, the noise, the scarves. It was one of the best sporting events I had been to live.

From Livin' in Germany

From Livin' in Germany

But now that the Timbers will be in the MLS, everything is going change. I am going to try has hard as I can to get season tickets, even if I live in Eugene. I will follow this team no matter what. And I will root against Seattle too. I hope to make it up there when Chelsea comes to play. I'll where my Blues jersey proud. And root against the Timbers' most hated enemies.

Rose City 'Til I Die.

Social Media Comments

Today, Mashable described a new partnership with Disqus and comment aggregation service UberVU to create the Social Media Comment.  Here is why from Mashable:

"The problem: the conversation is distributed. Mashable posts are shared on scores of social media sites, and yet all those conversations are scattered around the web, with no way to pull them all together in one place. Social media comments aim to fix that."

This sounds like a great way to bring together thoughts and share ideas around the entire social media world.  This could be a really good thing for social media and commenting.  I look forward to seeing the results!

Weekend Update

So the past four days have been really good.  It all started with the home opener for the Ducks baseball team, the first in 28 years!  It was an awesome game as it came down to a ninth inning walk-off single by Andrew Schmidt to win the game 1-0. Then they won again on Saturday 7-1. Who did they defeat?  Only the defending national champions Fresno State.  PK Park is not complete yet, but the field looks really good.  It will be beautifual next season once the full stadium is finished.

On Sunday I took Morgan to her first Blazers game ever.  We drove up to Portland and visited her nana in the hospital first, then met my mom, aunt and uncle for lunch at Red Robin.  The game was against San Antonio, who had beaten us only 5 days before by 15 points, in Texas.  This time the tables were turned and we completely controlled the entire game, up by as many as 29, and won by 18!

I have to thank my brother for the awesome seats, as they were a birthday present which was all the way back in November.  It just took me a long time to pick a game, but man was it a good one.  And it was great for Morgan because it was her first Blazer game ever – a big win over a good team and free Chalupas…what more could you ask for?

How about a Civil War victory?  We got home just in time to see the highlights from the Ducks beating the Beavers!

By Monday it was the start of my new job at Hero-Web in Springfield.  I am a sales and marketing assistant.  the company has a whole suite of web design/e-commerce services tailored for small business.  I feel very fortuante to have found a job in this tough economy, and it only took me two months after my first lay-off.  This is a great opportunity to work for a really great company and develop my skills and experience.  

Obama in Music

So I originally intended to post this on Inauguration Day, but I got as caught up in that amazing event. 35 days later a lot of the cultural frenzy around Obama has died down. But not that tonight is his first address to Congress, I thought it would be a good time to get this out.

When Obama first came onto the scene as a political force to be reckoned with, a lot of artists took notice (and I guess a lot of "entrepreneurs" as well). We all know so well that famous poster. But I am such a music fan, I wanted to know where Obama was mentioned in such. So I went to AZLyrics and searched for "Obama". And there was certainly a trend. Most of the songs came from the hip-hop genre, my favorite. The references within the song also ranged. Some were not even relevant at all, and I ended up rating them with either a low, medium, or high relevance. (From the mention of the word Obama and how it relates to either the line, verse, or entire song). Here is the full list, and I have provided the lines for the highest relevance:

High

• Nas – "Black President"; It is my distinct honor, and privilege to introduce the next President of the United States - Barack Obama. (This entire song is pretty much about Obama).
  
• Young Jeezy – “My President”; Tell him I'm doin fine, Obama for mankind
  We ready for damn change so y'all let the man shine.
• Neil Young – “Looking for a Leader”; Someone walks among us And I hope he hears the call, And maybe it's a woman, Or a black man after all, Yeah maybe it's Obama.
• Common – “Changes”; What is change? change is Martin Luther King jr, Ghandi,
  Shakespeare, Tupac Shakur, Barack Obama.

Medium
Chamillionare – “My Dream”
Chamillionare – “The Evening News”
The Game – “Letter to the King”
Common – “The People”
Talib Kwali – “Say Something”
Jay-Z – “Jockin’ Jay-Z”
Lil Wayne – “Black Republicans”
Bow Wow – “Roc the Mic”
Chamillionare – “Put on for Houston”

Low
Three 6 Mafia – “Lolli Lolli”
Chammillionare – “Fire”
Karina – “Baby Baby”
Flobots – “The Rhythm Method”
Ghostface Killah – “Toney Sigel a.k.a. The Barrel Brothers"

There were two more songs that I didn't include. Every knows about will.i.am's two songs: "Yes We Can" and "It's A New Day". These songs were played so much during the media coverage surrounding Obama. Will.i.am was even on CNN multiple times during Inauguration Day. I was looking for other songs that didn't get as much coverage as these two.

But as I was listening to these, another song crossed my mind and I had to mention it here. My second favorite song of all time is by Tupac Shakur also called "Changes". Whenever I heard Obama mention "change" in his speeches during the campaign, I thought of this song. Now I am not going to put all the lyrics on this page because I've already made this a long post, but the most meaningful are these two:

"And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh"

I wonder how Tupac would feel about the wonderful accomplishment Obama made and the place in history it holds now?

So Many Blogs, So _____ Time

At last count, I subscribe to 51 different blogs with topics including marketing, internet, technology, sports, and job hunting.  Now I need to make good with all of these.  Most of these publish 2-3 posts a day, some only once a day, a few once a week, and one blog probably publishes maybe 15-20 posts per day.  That's a lot of reading.

But I was hoping I could get some help out there.  How many blogs do you guys read?  How many hours per week are you reading them?  How do you manage them all?  I am not talking about using an aggregator, putting them into folders or anything like that.  If you read as many blogs as I do (or more), what's your system for staying up to date?  Taking one hour per day and just powering through them?  Waiting until the weekend and staying in bed until they are all read?  Etc.  

Right now time isn't a factor, because I am still looking for a job.  But once I start working again, these posts are going to be piling up.  I enjoy all of the blogs I read, and it helps to stay current in industry topics.  But it's a lot of information out there, and I want to make the best of it.  Go ahead and tell me about your reading "systems" in the comments below!

  

First LinkedIn Answer

Recently, I have been using LinkedIn more - adding more connections, updating information, asking for a recommendation, etc.  Another important part to LinkedIn is the Answers section.  Here, anyone can pose a question about an industry, or skill.  Then, other LinkedIn members can answer those questions.  I've decided to start asking and answering questions.  I found a great first question, and here is my answer:

Q: What is you definition of a green product and what is your favorite green product? (From Antonio Luck Filho)

A: I think the definition of a green product can be quite varied.  Many companies might consider simply putting their product in, for example, 80% post-consumer recycled paper and consider it green.  But then you also have the other end of the spectrum, with compostable silverware and dishes; see what I mean here.

My favorite green products are simple: a reusable grocery bag and local food.  Reusable groceries bag, either made from canvas or even recycled plastic bottles.  They cut down consumption of both plastic and paper bags.  I've found them to hold more and be more durable.  You can save money too off your bill as many stores give you a discount for using them.

I also love to shop for local products as much as I can.  That is quintessential green living.  The farther a product travels, the more energy it uses (gas in a trailer-truck, or cargo plane).  My girlfriend and I shop at the local farms for the best produce in town.  Local farms are almost always cheaper too. 

It's the simplest things that make all the difference.

No Free Chalupas, So I Made Enchiladas Instead

So Wednesday night I went to the Blazers career fair.  The room was completely full and the other attendees were mostly my age - either still in college or just graduated.  The keynote speaker was from Mandalay Entertainment.  They dabble in television, film, and own several minor-league baseball teams.  He talked about the most common way to get into sports, ticket sales, and what it takes to be successful in selling tickets.  After the speech, we all had time to browse around and talk to the various companies that were there, and give them resumes.  This didn't go over so well because all the booths were crammed into a very small room.  With about 200 people, it made for a very crowded space.  I handed out my resume a few times, but there were no real prospects.  Nonetheless, it is always beneficial to here from insiders of whatever industry you want to work in.

After the career fair I went to the Blazer game, thanks to my brother who bought my mom a ticket too.  We sat in section 110, which is the closest I've ever been for the Blazers.  Below is a picture from our seats:

They didn't make it 100, which means we didn't get free Chalupas from Taco Bell.  That really bummed me, but I still had a lot of fun.  I was in the mood for Mexican still so last night I made enchiladas.  It was the first time I've ever made them and they turned out great.  I looked up several recipes online, but ended up making my own version.  Here it is:

• 1 large chicken breast, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• oregano
• chili powder
• salt/pepper to taste
• 3-4 whole wheat tortillas
• shredded cheese (I used a bagged Mexican blend)

In one quart pan I sauteed the onion, garlic, and pepper together.  In another, I cooked the chicken long enough to get it shredded.  Add the chicken to the onion/pepper mix and season with spices, salt, and pepper to taste.  I let that simmer together from about 15 min.  Meanwhile, I seasoned the condensed soup with some chili powder, thinned it out with a little milk, and brought it to a short boil.  I added half of that mixture to the chicken.  Then spoon the mixture into a tortilla, wrap it, and place in oven-safe baking dish.  Once all the tortillas are stuffed and wrapped, pour the rest of the soup/sauce over the enchiladas and top with the shredded cheese.  I finally baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 min, basically until the cheese was melted.  I enjoyed, and I hope you do too.

Going to Portland!

So today I will be trekking up to Portland to attend the first ever Portland Trail Blazers "Rise with Us" Sports and Entertainment Career Fair.  I am very excited to see what's in store, and hopefully I can get some great information.  It includes a ticket to the game tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats, so that is always a great time.  I'll bring my camera with me and posting pictures when I get back.

Get Your Best Buy at Circuit City

Just woke up this morning to see that Circuit City will be closing its remaining stores and liquidating all of its remaining merchandise.  The article is here:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/16/news/companies/circuit_city/index.htm?postversion=2009011611

If you have ever wanted an HDTV, you better go get yourself one right now.  I am definitely going to be at my nearest store tomorrow, when the sales start I guess.  Still being unemployed, I don't quite have enough money for a plasma.  But maybe I could find a great deal on some thumb drives, or DVDs.  I expect there will be a mini Black Friday atmosphere at all the stores for the next few weeks.  Good luck to all you shoppers!

Snow Dog

So this is what it looked like outside our new apartment when it snowed about a week and a half ago. If we get another storm, I'll try and get photos of Autzen Stadium. I wanted to do it this time, but I just forgot. Oops.

And here is a picture of my girlfriend's dog, Grace. She a 3-1/2 year old yellow lab. I caught then when she was asleep while sitting, then woke up right after I took the picture.

My Own Apps I Can't Live Without

Michael Arrington of Tech Crunch recently had a post titled "2009: Products I Can't Live Without." In it he lists web applications and products he uses on a daily basis. I thought I would give my own list. These are the products I use everyday and couldn't live without:

• Microsoft Outlook: Probably the #1 office productivity software out there, I first used it in high school. It found me once again in my first job after graduating college. There may be better options out there for RSS readers, but I still find myself using it everyday - email, calendar, and RSS.
  
• Xobni: What Outlook lacks in several capabilities, Xobni easily makes up for it. The Xobni plug-in for Outlook installs a toolbar that add social network-like capabilities. There is so much this app does, best of which includes threaded conversations (much like Gmail); integration with other Web apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, and more; incredibly fast email search. Xobni is the reason I keep using Outlook everyday.
• Digsby: This app allows you to combine instant messaging, email notifications, and social networking in one convenient location. This easily saves a lot of time. I use Facebook Chat, AIM, Google Talk, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn all together. And there are even more web applications it supports.
• Facebook: I don't think I need to explain this one that much. Along with MySpace, easily the two biggest ways to keep up with friends everywhere.
• Gmail: This is my personal email source. Although, I mostly read it through Outlook, Gmail is still the best email service out there, by far.
  
• Hulu: Hulu is an amazing online-video service that has relationships primarily with NBC, Fox, but many other network as well to watch free TV shows online. I don't have a DVR, so this is my way to watch episodes of my favorite shows in case I miss them. They have shows in HD and movies as well. Hulu has been my television savior.
• Pandora: Pandora is the awesome internet music service that taps into the Music Genome Project. Customize your stations my genre or artist, and it will give you tracks from bands you might not have heard of before. And now, with a Vista Sidebar widget, I don't even have to leave my desktop to listen to great music.

Now they are certainly some honorable mentions to this list. These are products I still use very often. I don't count FireFox simply because it is my default browser. I don't even think about using Internet Explorer, and I am also testing out Google Chrome for a while. I check Twitter everyday, but I sometimes forget to update myself. I just joined Flickr, but Picasa remains my top photo application. As you can see there are a lot of the same products as Michael Arrington, but I have also included a few of my own.