silence

Interesting Advertising…Enjoy the Silence

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First thing you might notice:  theme change.  Comments are welcomed!  AND oh the other good news, I have made it to 100!!!  YAY!  Yes one hundred silly!  No joke…BLOG POSTS not AGE!  Geesh!  And got a Twitter account.  I think I felt your jaws just drop…FOLLOW ME @ BanditMetRoses

Well today I was talking to a good buddy of mine today regarding advertising.  Advertisers are getting more and more clever in the way things are presented to their “followers” or maybe just potential customers.  Take for an instance this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIu5B3Fsstg.  Notice anything interesting about it?  Go ahead watch it again….do you really think that this happened?  Or was this person hired to demonstrate the “GoPro” brand?  Cool, huh?

This is the “GoPro” sponsored highlight reel from Summer X-Games 17: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkgMXkayvQk.  Since it was sponsored, you don’t really feel like it is a traditional advertising method which come across more boring and blah.  This one seemingly isn’t so forced because it allows the story of the athlete and just seeing a “trick through their eyes” as intriguing!  It makes you want to see how they do it.  Next component is “why”  they do it!  One can build a segment literally just like that!  In a snap!  And guess what?  They didn’t put a commercial in there once!  So you got all the info and exposure to the ad with out the annoying “Billy Bob Jo here!  We can vid-E-O tape you doing trick after trick with our BRAND NEW GoPro….yada yada yada…”  It’s invasive!  So, advertising people had to get much smarter and “invite” the consumer to learn more!  Inviting is better because then if it’s too much you have control over how much is too much.

This is one tactic they use to continue to reach out to their consumers.  In today’s market place, a business’ success is based on how much they engage with their consumers balanced with ROI (return on investment).  AKA Spend money to make money.  This can be said with any field, line of work, or product.  How do they find that out?  Well they test it!

Take you as an example.  Take your blog for a second and think about the ways you engage your readers?  What do you find other’s actually are interested in or maybe what AREN’T they interested in?  What is your “target” for readers?  Why do you write what you write?  What’s your message?  Well did you just realize that this blog is now an extension of you?  You are actually advertising for YOU through your blog.  The whole point is to gain followers and find like-minded people….right?  It can help you find a community of support and friends.  You might not do it for money or anything, but pure pleasure yet, it is still advertising YOUR thoughts, YOUR frustrations, and YOUR life or your stories.

Interesting how advertising happens everyday without a second glance or notice.  Are we becoming numb to “over stimulation”?  I think that is part of it.  I also think we are so quick to put so much out “there” for people that we forget to have a personal life.  There is no filter to the information provided!  You might be saying defensively, “But I still have time to do all my chores, feed the kids, and run them to soccer practice…”  I understand that 100%.  But do you have time for relaxing?  For peace to infiltrate your mind and heart?  If you do, then BRAVO to you!  Balancing all of that is awesome!  We need balance…

 

One of my favorite quotes:  “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is the friend of silence.  See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…We need silence to be able to touch souls.”  Mother Teresa

 

Here is just an example of a second approach that is even better.  By recognizing love and good in a physical sense of others…isn’t that a novel idea?   Silence carries a negative connotation.  We think because we aren’t doing something going a mile and a half a minute, things aren’t right.  But, it is in silence to which creativity is alive!  Now my challenge to my followers is this, how can we translate that to the online world?   How can we see through the noise and see the good?   How do YOU test this to see if it works?  I want to know how you find the silence in this constant stream of “tweet tweet”  Seems like quite the paradox doesn’t it….well that’s why it’s a challenge!  What are your thoughts?

❤ The CatMan

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A dose of Silence and a Goose Egg

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We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.
Mother Teresa

What have you noticed in the silence today?   Have you had a moment to breathe?  To savor God’s presence?  To observe all that is good?  To notice a difference in perspective on a situation?  To make a decision?  To learn a little deeper understanding?

Yesterday, my sister (Cream Puff) and I were horsing around and she threw a plastic bottle at my head!  It was pretty funny and I must admit that I started it all.  But her reciprocating was drilling my head resulting in a goose egg!   A nice tender spot.  Also this night did not end with this madness but, as soon as my other sister (Jamocha Shake) got home with her boyfriend (The Ox).   They were just sitting and talking on her bed and then Cream Puff and I snuck in and attacked.

We were all laying as follows, closest to the wall on right side: Cream Puff, Jamocha Shake, The Ox, and me.  I was just on the edge and I hit Jamocha Shake and she didn’t punch hard as much as she fully extended her arm.  In return, I lost my balance and fell right off the bed laughing!  Of course, Jamocha has the highest bed too.  We all were crying we were laughing so hard….The Ox was the only one that asked if I was OK (for the record!)

The next morning, a small bruise appeared on the forehead, a hurting hip, and a butt that felt bruised.  Oh but it was a great laugh!   🙂  Never a dull moment with family!

OH and Nomad is going to be an uncle!  How awesome is that???  YAY!

xoxo
CatMan

Till the World Ends…..

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This is my empowerment song of the morning:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e_i4l4sBv8.

Yesterday, was a crazy day.  First off, I was just exhausted come the morning.  I had some head pressure in the base of my neck, down my spine, a raw throat, and some fluid in my ears.  The only thing I could think of is to roll back over and sleep it off.  I got up, got moving, and took some appropriate medicine that helped huge.

Then, I got an email from an ex of mine.  It was really kind of pathetic.  I sent a very assertive response back but, not bitchy.  I asked after the fact if I was out of line.  Well, I also told Nomad about the interaction.  It would eventually affect him in a possible social setting and the last thing I want is that to be awkward.  I sent him an email explaining it.  Past is past but, when you are trying to build a future it helps keeping things honest.  The song I left you with is in reference to this situation.  (ON THAT NOTE: Don’t send someone an email to ‘get in touch’ given that you might be seeing someone more often…it comes off like you are avoiding a confrontation

I totally wish I could have seen this dude on the street....I think I would have lightened up....

I worked on a big project all day.  80% of my day was spent with this one project only to realize in the last hour that I had written it up wrong not just once, but 4 times!?!?!?!  I sent the documents off to our vendor confirming it and HA….poor vendor!  So I looked like a royal dumb ass….when it was brought to my attention the 3rd time, I adjusted it and sent it off….then the 4th time I fell dramatically, upon sounding the “Eff my life” call thru the office, in kind of a laugh/cry mode.  Kind of collapsed to the lobby ground. Tears were streaming as I was laughing at the luck of the day!  How nuts is that?!  Then Herb called twice looking for me…that is all I will say about that one.

As I was clocking out and running off to help mom, I still had a smile on my face.  I might have just had a mini-meltdown but, I wasn’t going to let that defeat me.  Keep on pushing little engine….keep on pushing on thru….

Just as I was finishing up at work I get a frantic call from my mom…poor thing.  I had typed out a Track schedule earlier with all the dates and practice times.  Well the schedule at school changed and they couldn’t hold practice.  So my mom and I ran over to the track to catch people and send them home.  A lot of them were OK with it.  My mom felt horrible.  I found out later that she too had a pretty crazy terrible day!

I came home after that and slept then Nomad texted me.  “Do you want to talk about your day? Are you still stressed?” (me) “A little bit but it’s ok.  I don’t want to damper yours at all.” (Nomad) “Nonsense…we are here to saddle each other’s toil.”  (me melting at this point)  “hmmmm…” (Nomad) “?  We are here to hear each other.” (me) ” Thanks doll. 🙂  You are a good team player!” (Nomad) “:) Your welcome”  Then, when I was done getting ready for me I called him.

Then I sat and created a post followed by a sound, VERY SOUND, sleep.  Sometimes it takes a circus day thrown in there to make you appreciate the calmness in our own lives.  It makes me savor the moments to which I can sit in silence and hear nothing.  I just zone out.  I needed to have 5 minutes of that yesterday…but, if I need to slow down today that is exactly my course of action.

Here is a good song to end on…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXrFBsYKrgE.

PS: perfect end to the night is run/walking 5 miles with Katherine (using mile markers as food items…pancakes, waffles, coffee….etc) then proceeding to go to IHOP!  All is well in the Universe!