Thoughts on our recent arrival in Chisinau, Moldova.
First Look, Airport at ChisinauMoldova CountrysideChisinau Apartments
This is a story about cultural differences between people of The Republic of Moldova and the Americans. Two different cultures, one collective in nature, one individualistic. Two ways of life, one is about survival, another about prosperity.
Yet, the power of the human condition has proven to conquer all. Friendships have evolved, bonds created and memories made; a lasting mark on myself, the American team and the Moldovan people of Belsty that will last a lifetime.
I am happy to introduce a guest writer Angela Brown from London, an alumni of Oxford. Need more proof that this site attracts visits from all over the world?
Angela contacted me to write an article about financial matters. I though a bit about what may interest my readers. I suggested an article focused around the new Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf and ultimately how these innovations will change the automobile industry, the financial markets and any other thoughts. Here is what she came back with with some thoughts of mine interjected. May you too find it interesting. In any case, I’m very excited about these electric/hybrid cars and the changes they may bring. (changes desperately needed)
How Electric Cars May Change the Landscape of the Automobile Industry.
The introduction of the new electric and plug-in cars is definitely going to have a great impact on the whole of the automobile industry, the associated economy and the stock market. For example, Chevrolet’s Volt and Nissan’s Leaf electric car are the most discussed about cars. The city governments too are bringing in the battery chargers and Obama too has promoted the technology.
Nissan Leaf Plug In Charger PictureNissan Leaf Interior PictureChevy Volt with Chevy LogoChevy Volt Interior Picture
Impact of the electric cars
Electric cars can save you money on gasoline. But can they save you money in the big picture? Today’s electric cars are more subsidized and so buyers may be able to get enough tax breaks. For example, the Nissan Leaf – a four-door hatchback car has the base price of around $32,780. However, it is eligible for $7,500 federal tax credit. The Chevy Volt, coming in just over $40,000 also qualifies for this discount. This makes the car cheaper than other vehicles. It is also cheaper than any other electric vehicles in the market. But lets be realistic, $40,000 buys you a nice luxury car from Lexus, Infinity or BMW too. In any case, it is nice to know you may be able to save thousands of dollars from the federal government if you buy an electric car.
According to Mark Duvall, the director of electric transportation for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the price of gas is $4 a gallonbut a plug-in hybrid car can save a person about $15,000 to $18,000 over his life, on the assumption that people drive 1,000 to 1,200 miles per month.
I’m not one to divulge personal thoughts onto digital paper. I never have been one to keep an totally open dialogue with the world. Although, over the years, with the advent of social networking and the merging of technology with friends and loved ones, much of many of our personal lives, mine included, are becoming more and more public. With mixed feelings on that subject, essentially being social networking and privacy, I write this.
Hosting is just one of the many tools one requires to implement a successful blog today. Can you use a .blogger or .wordpress extensive with your blog?
Absolutely, but I see value in your own .com extension. Credibility, exclusiveness, options, and overall blog potential increases with your own .com domain name. But, with innovation comes risk, numerous options and questions. If you’re wondering what risk is involved, never forget costs. But in both cases, time will generally be your largest cost.
Hosting with a trusted partner, friend, business, or hopefully combination of all three is your best solution. I doubt this will be the first time you learn the hosting business is saturated. With low startup and maintenance costs, buying a server or three worldwide is manageable. Throw a site on it (even a blog) and one can become a hosting provider.
My life is moving at Warp speed, hence the geeky video! Tweet, post, link, blog, digg (etc) that one for a good conversation…with middle aged women, and lovers of bald guys, and lets not forget the Priceline guy… 😉
Right now I am working 40 hours at Diabetes Care Club (DCC), one cool company. They are also HIRING, so APPLY! If I hear one more person my age say he needs work, I could retire now from the DCC recommendations I’ve given. Hey, 30 to 200+ employees in no time is a good indicator of a pharmaceutical company backed by the federal government, known as Medicare folks.
If I’m not there, I am working consistently on the framework and logistics for DigtalPRConsulting. This Digital PR and Social Mass Marketing is Adam Faragalli’s new concept soon to be full time company. I’ve partnered with select individuals and well see where we can take it. We are hiring if you are smart, fearless, and friendly! Digital PR and/or Online Ad experience is a plus but not a requirement. An open mind is though. It’s all about relationships in this business, and it all movies very fast, with culture, people, and especially technology.
This project involved a large team effort to develop a new company and develop all the marketing necessary to launch one product into a marketplace. A small sample is below. I have attached the book if you would like to read more. I learned a lot about presenting preparation and working well with difficult team members on this project. But, in the end, we pulled it off with a best in class score. Enjoy.
Simply Green Products strives to make trouble-free, stylish, effective and environmentally efficient products for consumers. The mission statement is, “We design simple and smart eco-green products that benefit your life and our world.” The Twister W/D 500 fits into the mission statement because it is an all-in-one machine that will aid consumers in working smarter and simpler while promoting environment health.
The Twister is a front load washer. When a load is put into the machine and one of the many cycles are selected it will wash and dry the clothes with in one complete and simple cycle. It is more energy efficient than both a single washer and dryer, and will hold more clothes than its competitors due to its increased drum size.
For over 100 years Big Brothers Big Sisters has been changing children’s lives one child at a time.It is the oldest, largest and most effective peer mentoring program around.It all began in 1904 when a New York court clerk named Ernest Coulter reached out to help the flood of young boys who came through his courtroom.He believed that caring adults could place a lasting impact on children and help to keep them out of trouble. By 1916 Big Brother’s had spread to over 96 cities across the United States.
In 1992 and 1993 a research study was done to check the effectiveness of BBBS.The groups studied were among the largest BBBS agencies around the US.They looked at 959 children age 10 to 16.They put them into two groups.Half were matched with a “big” and the other half were put on a waiting list. (To make a control group) Research shows that children involved with BBBS are 52% less likely to skip school, 46% less likely to use drugs, less likely to use alcohol, one third less likely to engage in physical violence and are more likely to get along with their families and peers.
My Relationship with Big Brothers Big Sisters:
I have been a “big” brother since 2007. Without a doubt, this experience has defined my college experience. I have felt proud to be apart of this incredible organization. The level of commitment required is lofty, but the rewards, for me, always outweighed the challenges. My little and I enjoy WKU sporting events, video games, football and basketball, eating and random acts of racing to and from locations. “Hey, race you to the car!”
This project aimed to discover why Big Brothers Big Sisters was not a part of more students extra-curricular activities at Western Kentucky University. Through primary research, we learned much.
Research Findings
The team discovered many interesting findings. For example, individuals sampled do not plan on staying in Bowling Green past college, yet, while they are here, individuals for the most part have the 2-4 hours available a week to volunteer. Almost half of the population sampled said that they were somewhat interested in volunteering, with 35 percent saying very interested. Yet, only 35 percent volunteer currently. Our most interesting find is that if more information was readily available about BBBS, 76 percent said they would be interested in joining. What keeps people from volunteering was not a major surprise. Generally, people cited lack of time or energy, lack of motivation, or that there were plain lazy.
In terms of potential promotional methods BBBS could use, the team generated some excellent feedback and received some great responses. Many mentioned using Facebook.com and MySpace.com as methods to recruit interested students. Others said that a promotional agenda involving a student involvement fair with the Freshman MASTER plan, classroom visits with BBBS speakers, bulletin board mediums like posters and brochures, a table in DUC, Ads in College Heights Herald, and many other interesting ideas.
The Ad+PR Plan
This Ad+PR plan was created for one purpose, to boost Big Brother Big Sister student involvement and/or volunteerism on WKU’s campus. This promotional plan will begin during the fall 2008 semester, starting at MASTER plan and continuing for another month. A calendar of events will be provided for exact days and their resulting events. The budgets for this is extremely low because we are mainly combining elements that are for the most part cost free. Costs are estimated to be below 500 dollars.
The book broke down into multiple events which spelled out the plan for each. I have decided to keep these out, but feel free to the select images to get an idea.
“There is no underground (tattoo) community, no dark den of drunken sailors initiating themselves into manhood via cheap, ill conceived exercises in bodily perforation; it’s just a group of people who delight in using their bodies as billboards.”
Joanne McCubrey, “Walking Art: Tattoos”
There is not a nationally-recognized social networking tattoo site, yet. Imagine a social networking website that connects people in their local community and surrounding counties with one common interest: the love for body art, or tattoos.
Contemporary American culture is breaking down old stereotypes surrounding tattoos and replacing them with a mainstream societal acceptance. With the emergence of shows such as “Miami Ink” and “LA Ink,” tattoo artists have become icons to be admired for their talent and creativity.
Using web 2.0 mass social media technology, it is possible to finally provide this subculture with an outlet to share their body art stories and individuality. People contemplate and research before getting a tattoo. Web searching is a big part of that. Anyone looking to explore the love of body art, and share their experiences and uniqueness will be attracted to this website.
The heart and soul involves people sharing their stories about their old, new, or soon-to-be body art. Through extensive research, we learned many people love to discuss their tattoos.
SWOT
Site Content:
This site will allow people to create a body art profile. This allows members to develop a personality by using a customizable template. In this profile area, people can discuss their stories, provide pictures of all their body art, give extra details about who they are and how they are unique, as well as organize events if members. People can customize the look and feel of the template. People can vote on their favorite tattoo profiles, add each other as friends, initiate meetings, as well as organize events if members feel so inclined. We will also encourage businesses to make a profile for both their artists and the company.
Site content will include a forum divided into categories open to any and all related tattoo discussion. Picture galleries with a comment section will also be available so that people can upload all their body art for people to comment on. Furthermore, the site will provide a history of tattoos; a question/answer area; and a section for people to search for local tattoo artists, tattoo Machine tune-up guides and tips, as well as where, when and how to become a tattoo artist.
We encourage people to use the site as a channel to aid them in their tattoo exploration; such as, someone looking for a well-qualified tattoo artist in their local area, or someone looking for a place to vent frustration about their local tattoo artist making a dangerous mistake on his/her body.
Ok, sounds great, but how does it make MONEY?
Social mass media and online advertising has costs (plain and simple). With the initiative investment of partnering with Nashville’s centre{source} to build the online “brick and mortar” website, this is not cheap. This site must bring a return on this investment and my team can make it work.
If you would like more information on the financial details and partnering, please contact me directly.
What: Internship for WKU’s Advertising and Public Relation
Position: Event Manager
When: April 5th, 2008
Description:
This was my first official internship and I had a lot to learn and prove. Cliff Shalua, Ad+PR coordinator, after seeing a presentation on the Halo 3 advertising campaign spoke to me about Gameathon after class. I think my passion for games was rather obvious. He explained the history of the event and asked me if I was interested in the internship. I was interested in a gaming competition. I love video games and thought I had the leadership skills to pull it together.
At first I had no clue what I was doing. Like a sponge, I soaked up every bit of information on Gameathon I could find. I literally immersed myself in the event. I also planned down to the last minor detail. I made lists and went through each detail during our Gameathon weekly meetings. At times my email box would receive 25 to 50 Gameathon related emails a day. I spent between 10 and 30 hours a week on the event. This was an unpaid internship but I was determined to make this event great or die trying.
When I started planning, I was working with Becca Clark and Laura Crowder. I quickly grew the team adding Russel Gonzales, Elizabeth Mitaikostas, Rachel Koontz, James Davis, Bridget Boone and many others. By the end of planning, I had built a solid team over 26 awesome and dedicated individuals.
In any case, 3,500 is hardly enough for any substantial Advertising efforts. Nevertheless, my team used Web 2.0 social technologies like Facebook, MySpace and created an online Blog. We also used cost effective ad mediums like the WKU College Heights Herald, Student Affairs page and posters that literally covered every building on WKU’s campus and community. In the end, through all of my team’s promotional efforts, we had 220+ registered gamers rolling into game day. That is a 40% increase over 2007 where there was a budget of 2,000 more! Featured below is one of our viral videos we created and distriubed on the website and on YouTube.com.
I also expanded the event. I invisitioned Mass Media and Technology Hall maximizing Gameathon by using the 50 foot Auditorium screen and expanding into more game rooms. We played 4 rooms of 25+ for Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4. Over 100 gamers signed up for both Halo 3 and COD4! We had 8 teams of Rock Band, 48 people set to play Guitar Hero 3, and 32 in Madden 2008. All in all, an incredible turn out considering the promo budget and regional size.
Players competed for a 26 inch LCD TV, surround sound system, 50 dollar Game Stop gift cards, and a number of other small “swag” prizes. We gave special WKU Gameathon t-shirts away and sold them at the event for 12 dollars. They are also featured in the pictures below.
On April 5th, my team was set up and ready for the opening at 10 a.m. Although we did have a power outage and a hard time with the bracket system, game day was a blast. Everyone on my team had a really good time. I know that I did my best and to this day have no regrets.
I am now on the Gameathon board of directors. I have helped David Gray, the 2009 event manager, get the event going and offered suggestions to again make it bigger and more awesome. Most all the 2008 team returned and Gameathon 2009 is set to launch this coming weekend! I am so excited.
