Engrish is Funny

I Can Has Cheezburger, the site known for its lolcats, launched a new Web site called EngrishFunny.com that highlights hysterical Asian to English translations. Like its predecessor, the site is a huge procrastination tool that will rope you in, hypothetically speaking, of course. Pictures range from dirty translations to tamer ones like "fresh crap," "tunnel execution ground" and "tampon hockey." Covered Communications created the site.

via MediaPosst

Tags: icanhascheezburger, engrishfunny, covered communications

Dallas Cowboys Move to New Stadium!

The Dallas Cowboys will play their last game at Texas Stadium on December 20, 2008. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, as yet unnamed, will be completed in 2009.

The new sports and entertainment venue will be located in Arlington, Texas. The 2.3 million square-foot complex will have an approximate capacity for 80,000 fans and the flexibility to accommodate up to 100,000 fans.

The new stadium boasts the most spectacular column-free room in the world, stretching a quarter-mile in length. The stadium will measure twice as long as the famed St. Louis Gateway Arch and the Statue of Liberty can stand completely inside the domed structure.

It will contain the largest centrally hung video board on Earth; 9,000 square feet of video display, with a 2,241 inch diagonal.

The Super Bowl XLV in 2011 will be played in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, so if you wish to attend, you may want to secure your Dallas Cowboys Tickets as soon as they go on sale.

I am not a super fan, but I will want to see this marvel of architectural engineering, the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

Tags: dallas cowboys, largest NFL stadium, super bowl xlv in texas, dallas cowboys tickets

Criminals & Terrorists Welcome!

Stop Handgun Violence launched an outdoor ad in Massachusetts that draws attention to a gun show loophole allowing criminals and terrorists to buy guns without a criminal background check in a whopping 32 states. The Vegas-style ad is a mock gun-show announcement describing the ease with which people can buy guns. Modernista! created the campaign.

via Media Post

Tags: guns, no gun control, stop handgun violence

Are You An Alpha or A Gamma Woman?

Meredith Corporation, one of the leading media and marketing company serving American women, released The Gamma Factor: Women and the New Social Currency.

It is estimated that more than 55 million American women are Gamma women, otherwise known as average women. Meredith's study estimates that Gammas represent nearly 60 percent of Meredith's audience.

Gamma women share and exchange information, ideas, opinions, contacts and recommendations with their wide-reaching network using multiple media and channels of communication. Gamma’s sense of self is guided by her internal beliefs, passions, and priorities.

Contrast this to the Alpha style of communication, which is a top down model of selectively passing along information. Alpha women are driven by external social hierarchies or other indicators of status or popularity.

As the social and technological environment in which they exist becomes more and more suited to their communication and interaction styles, the influence of Gammas in the marketplace will increase.

So, if you are not an A-List blogger with 5,000 email subscribers and "a list" of 1000s of marketers who wait for your next sales letter, you are still an influential, and, most importantly, an authentic member of a select group of word of mouth marketers--bloggers.

Read more at Meredith Corporation and DMNews

Tags: gamma women, alpha women, meredith corporation, dmnews

Oh, Lord, Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz?

Does anyone besides for me remember Janis Joplin? She was a whiskey voiced blues singer in the 1960s. I loved her song, Mercedez Benz. In the song, Janis asks God for a color TV, a night on the town, and a Mercedes Benz (because "my friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends").

If you have ever wished for a Mercedez Benz, especially if you live within 200 miles of Washington, D.C.m you you should visit the website of New Mercedes DC.

The Mercedes E is the high-end luxury sedan. Powerful, responsive, loaded with options you expect. For the ultimate sport sedan, get behind the wheel of the Mercedes SL and feel the torque and suspension give you the control you crave.

Young professionals may want to look at the Mercedes S-class mid size sport sedan, which combines Mercedes luxury and performance in a package priced comparable to other imports.

Soccer moms may want to look at the Mercedes GL-class or even the Mercedes M-class luxury crossover SUV, both are aimed at family-oriented buyers looking for an upscale, serviceable family vehicle.

Since making its debut at the New York International Auto Show in April 2007, the 2008 CLK Coupe has laid claim to the title of the ultimate sports car. With the performance of a race car and the handling of a fine European machine, this is one hot car!

I imagine this CLK in fire engine red and a rag top, flying down the highway with Janis behind the wheel.

Tags: mercedes benz, new mercedez dc, janis joplin

Using Twitter for Business

I discovered Chris Brogan's blog the other day. Chris works with businesses, organizations and individuals interested in using social media and social networks to build relationships and brand awareness.

This article, written by Chris: 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com lists 50 ways to use Twitter for business. If you use Twitter or wonder what Twitter is all about, read this article.

Tags: 50 twitter ideas, twitter for business, do you twit

A Nuclear Bomb Can Ruin Your Whole Day

Captions:

"When only one nuclear bomb could destroy a city like Minneapolis, we don't need 6,000."

"Senator McCain: It's time to get serious about reducing the nuclear threat."


Northwest Airlines requested that the advertisement above, showing downtown Minneapolis as a target of a nuclear strike, be removed from the Minn-St. Paul Int'l Airport.

The advertisement from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) was deemed to be SCARY and ANTI-MCCAIN by Northwest, the official airline of the RNC.

The UCS commissioned another ad for the Denver airport, featuring an image of that city with the same statement addressed to Sen. Barack Obama.

Elliot Negin, a UCS spokesman, said the nonpartisan organization did not design the ads to be either anti-McCain or Obama.

In fact, both McCain and Obama largely agree with us that we need to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

The advertisement has not been taken down in the Denver Int'l Airport.

So, if we do not talk about the dangers of nuclear war, it does not exist? Similar to the tactic of putting our heads under the bed covers so the boogieman that lives under the bed cannot get us?

Tags: nuclear, reduce nuclear threat, politics in airport, UCS

Webcast: Keyword Analysis & Optimization

Getting More From Large, Complex Paid Search Campaigns: Increasing ROI Through Keyword Analysis and Optimization

Date: Thursday, September 4, 2008 - 1 PM EDT

Speakers:
Steven Kaufman, SVP, Media Director, Digitas & Roger Barnette, President, SearchIgnite

Understanding the relationships between keywords in your paid search campaign is essential to proper keyword bucketing and campaign optimization. Learn how understanding the clicks that precede the conversion click is useful in developing optimization techniques for different keyword buckets.

Attend this webcast and learn:

• Why it is important to understand the value of "assist" keywords and all clicks leading up to a conversion
• How to measure the value of all keywords within your portfolio
• When to use differing optimization strategies including Portfolio Optimization, Keyword Position, or Day Parting

Wecast is Free, Registration Required

Tags: paid search, keyword analysis, optimization, free webcast

Blog Action Day October 15, 2008

Bloggers Worldwide to Address Poverty on Blog Action Day October 15

Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) August 15, 2008 — On October 15, bloggers around the world will discuss poverty on the second annual Blog Action Day. Anyone may register for free at http://blogactionday.org.

The non-profit event began in 2007 as a way for many blog publishers to view a pressing issue from distinct perspectives at the same time, thereby increasing awareness and creating a global discussion.

Bloggers can participate by publishing at least one blog post, podcast or video about poverty on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 and/or by contributing to Blog Action Day 2008 partners TheGlobalFund.org and Kiva.org.

“Utilizing mass participation, the day aims to provide a platform for bloggers to discuss and act on a pressing issue,” said event co-founder Collis Ta’eed, an Australian blogger from FreelanceSwitch.com. “This year we hope to grow on the success of 2007’s event, and bring the innovative and oftentimes personal publishing style of blogging to bear on the critical issue of poverty. With thousands of individual thoughts, ideas and actions, we aim to mobilize audiences everywhere.”

Already, 13 of the world’s 100 most popular blogs according to Technorati.com have agreed to participate in Blog Action Day this year, including TechCrunch.com, Readwriteweb.com, Mashable.com, SmashingMagazine.com, Problogger.net, GigaOM.com, Copyblogger.com, ZenHabits.net, Inhabitat.com, VentureBeat.com, Mentalfloss.com, PronetAdvertising.com and TorrentFreak.com.

Other Blog Action Day 2008 supporters include Elena Valenciano, a prominent member of the Spanish Parliament, and Ben Rattray, CEO of Change.org.

The first Blog Action Day in 2007 focused on the environment and more than 20,000 blogs participated, along with many major corporations and international organizations including - the United Nations Environmental Programme, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Google, Wells Fargo, eBay, Yahoo!, BlogTV Brazil, BlogAs Lithuania.

About Blog Action Day:

Blog Action Day is an annual non-profit event that asks bloggers to simultaneously discuss a single issue each year on October 15th. The aim of the event is to trigger widespread discussion around a global issue through niche-focused articles that appeal to their respective audiences. The event began in 2007 when a group of bloggers asked each other, “What would happen if …?” and then decided to find out.

Contact:

Easton Ellsworth, Assistant Event Coordinator
Email: easton @ blogactionday.org
Phone: +1.970.372.6630
Website: http://blogactionday.org

Tags: blog action day, october 15, 2008, poverty, advocacy, take action

Life at 100 Years Old

According to data from the 2007 U.S. Census, there are 84,000 Centenarians in the United States, and that number is projected to increase to 580,000 by 2040.

Evercare: Press Releases 100@100

Survey of 100 Centenarians Polled Finds That Staying Connected to Family and Friends, Keeping Up with the Latest Technology and Enjoying a Sense of Independence Are Essential to a Long, Healthy Life

Survey is a snapshot of Americans 100 years-old or older in 2008. The survey compared findings from polls of other generations on topics of relationships and independence.

Other Generations Surveyed:

• G.I. (ages 84-98)
• Silent (ages 63-83)
• Baby Boomers (ages 44-62)
• Gen X (ages 30-43)
• Millennials (ages 20-29).
  

Key findings of the 2008 survey:

Centenarians say staying close to friends and family is most important to healthy aging (90 percent). Keeping the mind active (90 percent) and laughing and having a sense of humor (88 percent) also ranked high for longevity.

81 percent of Centenarians say that maintaining a sense of independence is one of the keys to healthy aging.

Independence comes with:

• The ability to take care of themselves on a daily basis (94 percent)
• Staying in good health (93 percent)
• Being able to make their own financial and health decisions (89 percent)
• An increase in a sense of spirituality (85 percent)

To download PDF of the press release, click here. To view videos of interviews, please see this page on YouTube.

Tags: 100-years-old, centenarians, 100@100 survey, evercare

Naked British Athletes for Powerade

Photographs from Reuters

Triple Jumper Phillips Idowu

Cyclist Rebecca Romero

Swimmer Gregor Tait

Triple jumper Phillips Idowu, cyclist Rebecca Romero and swimmer Gregor Tait have all been photographed taking part in their individual sports stark naked as part of an advertising campaign for a sports drink.

British athletes bare all for advertising campaign | Oddly Enough | Reuters

According to Cathryn Sleight, marketing director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, which launched the Powerade campaign:

Everyone is used to seeing athletes in competition or winning, but we wanted to give people the chance to see the real make-up of an athlete and their muscle and power,

I find nothing offensive about these photographs; they are very tastefully done. We should celebrate the beauty of these athletes in peak performance mode.

Anyone have any objects? Leave me a comment.

Tags: coca=cola great britain, british athletes, naked athletes, powerad ad campaign

Amanda Beard Bares All for PETA

Photo Credit: Patrick Alleyn

Read: The PETA Files: Olympic Champion Unveils Naked Anti-Fur Ad in Beijing

Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard unveiled the Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin advertising campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Beijing on August 6. Beijing officials, citing safety reasons, canceled her original news conference where she was to unveil the campaign. Amanda just switched venues and held her news conference anyway.

Sign the pledge to go fur-free on the FurIsDead.com,


In February of 2007, Joanna Krupa was featured in a PETA campaign: I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.



Naked women and PETA--when something works, why change it?

Tags: peta, amanda beard, be comfortable in your own skin, fur-free pledge

Monetizing Social Search

This webcast was not in my prior post about upcoming Search Marketing Now events. This webcast is the day after tomorrow, so if you wish to attend, Register Now- it's free!

Monetizing Social Search:
Using Real-Time Analytics & Behavioral Tracking
to Enhance Content & Function

Date & Time:
Tuesday, August 5 - 1 PM EDT

Speakers:
Marty Weintraub, aimClear
Michael Wilson, Vignette Software

Learn about using real-time analytics and behavioral data to improve your Internet visitors' experience, which impacts your ROI.

Register Now- it's free!

Tags: search marketing now, webcast, monetizing social search, analytics, behavioral tracking

Producing Viral Videos for Brands

BE SEEN. GET PAID.®

Launched during SXSW's Interactive Festival in Austin this March, Zadby is poised to bring together two diverse groups of individuals in a product placement enterprise. Zadby is an online marketplace where freelance video mavens and fledgling video producers may connect with brand managers, marketers and advertisers, to create user-generated video content that will go viral on the free video platforms.

Brand managers start by developing a commission, which highlights the product information and outlines the strategic objectives of the video campaign. The commission, posted on Zadby, is viewed by over 200 freelance video producers. Interested producers select the commissions for which they want to develop a single video or a video campaign.

After production, the video is reviewed by Zadby staff and the brand manager. If approved, the video goes live and Zadby tracks the response and pays the producer. Video producers may make $1000 to $3000 per video if selected. Zadby takes 20 percent for managing the entire process.

So, if you are interested in having your product in a viral video, visit Zadby.com. If you are a video producer who has some work for which you would like recognition and compensation, visit Zadby.com.

I have a good feeling about this one. What do you think?

Tags: online marketplace, zadby.com, viral video, user-generated video, product placement