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Businesses are formed, exist, and maintain maturity if they sell something and earn revenue from the sale. Two months into our new decade, studies are coming out that illustrate which industries are expected to perform well and which are destined for failure. One study, released in December 2009 by IBISWorld, shows the good and the bad between 2000-2009 and 2010-2019.

Money markets, leather tanneries, and recordable media manufacturing were disasters last decade; and the profit losses are projected across the next decade to include photofinishing, laminating plastics, and DVD rentals.

Revenue boosters through 2009 include online dating, search engines, and warehouse clubs; and the positive trend is slated to continue with retirement planning, environmental consulting, and online auction sites.

It should not be surprising that the creative economy is poised for growth over manufacturing sectors that are quickly declining.

Small business owners must innovate to survive; the rise of the technology cluster is testament to the importance of the internet to increasing market competitiveness.

The Enterprise Center at Salem State College recognizes these facts and I thank them for inviting me to lead a 2-hour workshop on March 4, 2010 about the importance of driving business through online media. If you or someone you know in the greater Boston region is interested in attending, you can register here.

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TV vs the Web: Who Wins This Super Bowl?

by Ari Herzog on February 8, 2010 · 4 comments

Today’s newspapers and internet headlines scream the score of last night’s game and point me to repositories of the advertisements to watch. Considering I didn’t follow pro football all season, why be an ignoramus and pay attention at the final hour? No thanks, not my style. I spent the day out of town instead and had an enjoyable evening.

My sentiments are not alone as scores of people sent Twitter updates throughout the night that they weren’t watching the game either.

Tweets about not watching the Super Bowl

Despite our indulgences in other pursuits, over 51 million American households tuned into the CBS broadcast, says Nielsen. Inclusive of DVR playback after the fact, 106.5 million Americans watched the game and defined TV history — making Super Bowl XLIV the most watched television program, surpassing 1983’s M.A.S.H. finale, which previously held the record.

Think about that for a moment. More Americans — let alone people around the world picking up satellite broadcasts or watching online — preferred to tune into a television program than use the web. I grant you that socialization in person is more important than socializing online, but when a mere 12% of the Super Bowl audience watched the game while Facebooking their friends, maybe TV’s not as prone to doom as pundits predict?

Nielsen statistics

If the web is not taking people away from broadcast media, then which has a higher chance of survival? Or, is the reason for my question because people are not ready to cash in on their TVs for computing experiences?

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Showcase Sunday: How RescueTime Tracks Your Online Productivity

Feb. 7, 2010

Enjoy this video I made for you about an online tool called RescueTime.

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Introducing Gwen Bell to You on Satisfying Saturday

Feb. 6, 2010

One year ago today, Gwen wrote about her wedding to Joel, the man she met on Twitter:
We’re going to live-stream video during the day. That means if you can’t physically be here for the wedding, you can still watch it. And participate remotely. We’ll have comments off on the live-stream in order to keep, ahem, [...]

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Share 1 Online Marketing Tip and Win 250 Free Business Cards via PrintRunner

Feb. 5, 2010

There are a slew of printing companies that you can visit online to order business cards, post cards, banners, and other paper materials. Many firms recognize the power of the web and have had e-commerce sites for years, such as VistaPrint (from which I’ve ordered business cards in the past) to Elite Flyers (a start-up [...]

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How I Find Blog Post Ideas – and You Can Too

Feb. 4, 2010

Over dinner with Brian Rivard last night, he mentioned he read my blog and asked how I decide what to write about each day. I grinned and told him I’d write my next blog post answering his question.
Here goes.
Visiting my blog archive I can see the last few articles I’ve written. Take a look:

Even if [...]

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Criticizing Companies in Blog Posts Always Backfires

Feb. 3, 2010

Despite his best intentions to criticize an environmental campaign of German automobile manufacturer Audi set to launch on Super Bowl Sunday, Danny Brown was ultimately criticized instead. After perusing the background below, I ask you to consider whether it is preferable to write a blog post based on assumptions or a blog post with research.
To [...]

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