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.

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.

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.  

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.