http://www.brianbarnett.com/ Journal of family news, political satire, and other humor writing by Brian Scott Barnett of San Jose, California. Family news on Sydney Barnett, Lora Barnett, Bretta Barnett, Tommie Rae Barnett, LaVerne Long and others. en-us http://www.brianbarnett.com/ Journal of family news, political satire, and other humor writing by Brian Scott Barnett of San Jose, California. Family news on Sydney Barnett, Lora Barnett, Bretta Barnett, Tommie Rae Barnett, LaVerne Long and others. http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P196 For all the Marketing Peeps: This skit from Saturday Night Live shows how one vocal person can take over a focus group and turn it into a waste of time. http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P195 On occasion, I'm called upon to do tech support with family members. It's not like I'm super technical or anything. I'm just more technical than them. Problems I've been called on to solve include getting a certain family member's email to synch between gmail and outlook ("Why do they make this so hard!"), helping with getting an important document scanned ("how am I supposed to know that I need to use 'Import > Twain Acquire' in PhotoShop"), and more. If you're... http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P194 A few of my favorite team members won awards today. Wanted to make sure they had my grainy, poorly filmed account of the moment, just in case they ever have a need to look back and bask in the glory again. Liz Werhane - company bellringer - It's her last week at our division but not our parent company which is good news for us because she's awesome. She's long been one of my favorite co-workers. Alysha Evans - company values award - Almost a year and a half ago, I brought Alysha... http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P192 Summer vacation started last week for the kids, and nothing kicks off a summer like a surprise trip. Tuesday night, I told the kids that I was taking Wednesday off work... and that we were going to a surprise place. I even gave them a clue. It's 2 words. Both start with "M." This first video was taken at lunch on our way there at BJ's Restaurant. Great deep dish pizza, btw. Big hit with the kids. View the Magic Mountain Preface Soon, we were in the park. The kids... http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P191 Have you tried bolo golf? Throw the two balls connected by rope correctly, and you'll wrap it around a colored bar (and get points.) Throw it wrong and the game can end quickly. Or - view the video. Hint: this video works best if you view it full screen BTW: notice how well Leah masters the technique Ethan demonstrates. http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P190 Did you know that there are almost 1000 audio books (many of which I paid for before I knew about this) that you can get online for free, through your public library? Unless your library is lame, that is. Fortunately, I live in Santa Barbara, and mine is awesome. Here's what to do: Visit http://blackgold.lib.overdrive.com Click on the link that says "Complete List" next to iPod® Compatible Audio Books Search through the big list of books and find an awesome one.... http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P189 Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality, speaking at TED on our "Buggy" Moral Code. View the video http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P188 Want to get your customers even more inspired about your products? One way, is to get them to create your advertising by crowdsourcing it. GoToMeeting did just that, by offering a $50k bounty to the best contest entries for a new advertisement, then having customers vote on their favorites. The result: a fresh creative approach that was different than anything the company had come up with before. Now airing on a television near you! View the Mr. Sushi ad on Youtube http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P187 Customer Relationship Marketing is not a new term. This book from 1995 published by IBM offers a lot of background on the business thought that drives what many of us still do today. Worth a look if:You're hazy on the difference between Customer Relationship Marketing, Customer Relationship Management and eCRMYou're interested in deeper segmentation than "prospect", "customer" and "lost prospects and customers."You want background on how CRM was supposed to... http://www.brianbarnett.com/weblog?id=P186 Technology can now allow us to to work from anywhere and to prove the point, Kelley Smith is going to work from the back of a tandem bicycle in Europe. If you feel like you've been chained to your desk like the modern day equivalent of a serf, take a page out of Kelley's playbook. It all starts with a willingness to ask for what you want. Kelley had always wanted to bicycle across Europe. Citrix Online wanted to prove that you can work from anywhere. Boom! Kelley gets a sponsor, a bunch...