Everything About Business Except The Bottom Line: FunnyBusiness

Atlanta Restaurants Turning To Social Media

The Atlanta Business Chronicle has a feature on how The Huddle House is using social media to drive business. It quotes my friend and colleague Toby Bloomberg exclusively. Unfortunately, the periodical has an antiquated approach to content and insists on having this feature only available to paid subscribers.

What it does say in the article is that since implementing its social media strategy traffic is up almost 3% with about 5,000 followers across various social media platforms. The restaurant hopes to have one million followers in the next 12 months. Toby is quoted as saying,

³It¹s an inexpensive way to go if you look at it from a hard capital cost standpoint,² Bloomberg said. ³There¹s no cost at all. Where the cost is in the time and the strategy.²

Habitat Furnitive Promo: Death By A Thousand Tweets Or Brilliant Publicity Stunt?

This post makes me think of Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine?http://blip.fm/~92ra7 What song comes to mind for you?

In Hollywood there is that adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Just have to look to Lauren Caitlin Upton,Miss Teen South Carolina 2007--In passing, I caught her on an interview a few weeks ago saying that her YouTube fame has done great things for her career. Go figure.

A European furniture company, Habitat spent last week apologizing for a stunt it pulled on twitter where it took advantage of the situation in Iran to offer a store promotion. But were they actually smiling through those mea culpas?

Here's how they did it. In Twitter you can tag your tweets so that in their search engine someone who wants to follow a particular conversation can find all the tweets on that topic.Last week there were a lot of tweets using the hastag #mousavi.

One of those tweets with the hastag #mousavi included Habitat Furniture's offer;

One message, now removed, said 'Mousavi - Join the database for free to win £1000 gift card'.
                                                                                                                                  FSN Reporters Blog

Turns out Habitat didn't just disguise it's offer in hashtaqs for the Iranian crisis. According to Digital Pivot, the company has used hashtags for a variety of topics including the iPhone, Apple and TrueBlood.

In apologizing to the Twitterdom, a spokesperson for Habitat put the blame on an overzealous intern.

The hashtags were uploaded without Habitat’s authorisation by an overenthusiastic intern who did not fully understand the ramifications of his actions. He is no longer associated with Habitat.”

That has as much credibility as Governor Sanford telling people he's taking a hike on the Appalachian trail. Interns are usually supervised. Communication Departments usually monitor the work of interns. If this supposed intern was really left to his/her own devices to take advantage of the hastags than his/her supervisor should be the one to lose their job, not the intern. Please. This is insulting. They didn't know?

Here's what we do know. Until last week many of us had never heard of Habitat Furniture. . Nevertheless, their bad behavior has gotten them coverage in The New York Times as well as hundreds of blogs. Even though they spammed Twitter, the chances are traffic in their stores is on the increase.

Now that consumers are more aware of them, they will be more curious about what the store is all about. It will take a person of unusual ethical standards to resist the temptation to check them out.Now, imagine when you walk into the store you actually discover you really really like their stuff.

As this tweet confirms an apology to twitters by way of a special discount could go a long way.

sealtree Naughty naughty Habitat... no chance of discounts for Twitter followers though? http://bit.ly/13D1i2 #habitat 3 days ago from bit.ly

Today In Business History: The Barcode Is 35 Years Old

Today's Post made me think of this song- a favorite from my childhood performed by Lonnie Donegan and his Skiffle Group: http://blip.fm/~8wyhv

At 35,the product barcode may soon be a has been. According to Engineering Education,

barcodes on supermarket items may soon become as antiquated as audio cassettes - they only tell the cashier which type of product is being sold, while Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) allows retailers to track every item individually through the use of smart tags.

Because such tags transmit the information they contain to any RFID reader nearby, employees locate misplaced items more easily and hopefully deter theft. While cost concerns have hindered the adoption of the new technology, just like its predecessor in the 1970s, the humble bar code seems unlikely to stand a chance once RFID reaches critical mass.

Originally designed to help speed up the grocery checkout process, the very first product to be scanned using the barcode technology was a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit gum. That pack of gum is now at the Smithsonian.

Note to all Executives, Public Office Holders and Employees: GMAIL

I do not doubt that South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford fell in love with  Maria  last name redacted. It's just if he had written his emails on a private email service instead of the state email system then maybe I wouldn't know about Maria's tan lines and curves.

That would be a good thing. For me. For the citizens of South Carolina.For his children and his estranged wife. It's never a good idea to write things in an email that are the equivalent to whispering sweet nothings in someone's ear .

Not sure who decided to share these lovemails  and send them to the newspaper -- probably one hacked off IT guy whose job it was to make sure state employees weren't using the email service for private purposes.Whoever it was, they must really not like the Governor.

So please, business executives, public office holders,and employees of organizations around the world-- Do yourself and the rest of the world a favor...use a private email service for private e-love letters.  

If this plea is not enough to convince you to get a gmail account then maybe this will. From the South Carolina newspaper, The State

From Gov. Sanford,
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 12:24 a.m.

“One, tomorrow leave at 5 a.m. for New York and meetings. Will think about you on its streets and wish I was going to be there later in the month when you are there. Tomorrow night back to Philadelphia for the start of the National Governor's Conference through the weekend. Back to Columbia for Tuesday and then on Wednesday, as I think I had told you, taking the family to China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Thailand and then back through Hong Kong on world wind tour. Few days home then to Bahamas for 5 days on a friend’s boat for the last break of the summer. The following weekend have been asked to spend it out in Aspen, Colorado with McCain - which has kicked up the whole VP talk all over again in the press back home ...

Two, mutual feelings .... You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night’s light - but hey, that would be going into sexual details ...

Three and finally, while all the things above are all too true - at the same time we are in a hopelessly - or as you put it impossible - or how about combine and simply say hopelessly impossible situation of love. How in the world this lightening strike snuck up on us I am still not quite sure. As I have said to you before I certainly had a special feeling about you from the first time we met, but these feelings were contained and I genuinely enjoyed our special friendship and the comparing of all too many personal notes ...

Lastly I also suspect I feel a little vulnerable because this is ground I have never certainly never covered before - so if you have pearls of wisdom on how we figure all this out please let me know... In the meantime please sleep soundly knowing that despite the best efforts of my head my heart cries out for you, your voice, your body, the touch of your lips, the touch of your finger tips and an even deeper connection to your soul.

No More Express Lines At U.S. Airports

The Clear Card never made it to Minneapolis.I didn't travel to Clear Card cities often enough to even consider spending the $200 annual fee that would allow me to scoot through airport via a special security express line that reduced the serpentine crawl that travelers must work there way through to get through security.

The Clear Card's parent company--Verified Identity Pass shut down on Tuesday evening after failing to renegotiate terms with its "senior creditor."

While the 250,000 people who coffed up that $199 annual fee won't be getting refunds - at this time-- they have been assured that their "iris scans, fingerprints and other personal informaton will not be sold to another company.

Applicant and member data is currently secured in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration's Security, Privacy and Compliance Standards. Verified Identity Pass, Inc. will continue to secure such information and will take appropriate steps to delete the inform.
                                                                                                                                       WalletPop

According to Peter Kafka at Media Memo,  the company had raised $116 million since 2005 with the latest round of $44 .4 million being infused just last August. by Spark Capital whose main claim to fame is in being Twitter's main backers.

As for those travelers who now have to start at the back of the line. Welcome Back.

A new feature on FunnyBusiness. Whenever possible I'm going to share a little tune that captures the spirit of my post via Blip.fm . Today's tune for your listening enjoyment and in honor of those road warriors who have to join the rest of us in those lengthy airport security lines: The Theme From Welcome Back Kotter.  If you have other tunes that you think capture the spirit of this post, please share.

Bozeman City Manager Apologizes For Asking Job Applicants For Their Social Media Log-on and Passwords

If you want to apply for a job in Bozeman Montana you no longer have to give them your username and passwords to all your social media sites including Facebook and MySpace.

Until last Friday the city of Bozeman Montana had, for the past several years, required job applicants to provide that information.

"Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.," the City form states. There are then three lines where applicants can list the Web sites, their user names and log-in information and their  passwords.                     
                                                                                                                         Industry Radar Blog

The city's rationale was that the policy was needed to "ensure employees’ integrity and protect the public’s trust." The policy became public record when a job applicant sent the information to a Bozeman television station. The reaction was harsh with some people saying the city officials were "out of their minds." In his apology, City Manager Chris Kukulski said,

Following a 90-minute staff meeting held Friday morning, officials decided asking applicants to provide their passwords to sites such as Facebook or MySpace "exceeded that which is acceptable to our community," according to Kukulski.

Kukulski also apologized for the negative impact the issue has generated from news organizations and blogs around the world. He added that the information was never required at the time of application. "This was a question that was asked after you were conditionally offered the job." He said the City also is suspending the practice of viewing any password protected information.

The city said although it would no longer require usernames and passwords the city would still continue to use the internet to check on applicant's integrity.

This story made me think of this song:

Police - Every Breath You Take What song are you hearing as you read about Bozeman?

Translating British During A Phone Call

Just got off the phone with a guy in  London and as always amazed at how different our two languages are,and how difficult it is to maneuver something as simple as an email exchange.

First I gave him my email address. No problems. Then he started to give me his.

What I thought I heard was ChrisPhilstop. As I was typing it I was thinking how utterly British his last name was.
Of course, that wasn't his last name at all.  He wasn't saying Philstop. He was saying "full stop."

Of course I had no idea what a full stop was. Now I do. In the U.S. we would say "dot" as in Chirs dot lastname@xyzcompany.com

What challenges have you had translating English to British or British to English?

The song that this situation reminds me of has the lyrics " You say Tomato.I say To-ma-tah." Music by Ella Fitgerald and Louie Armstrong. What songs do you thing of?

62% of Gen Yers Take Social Media Breaks At Work

It is the Clash of The Generations and it is being blamed on 'tudes about technology. The .LexisNexis®Technology Gap Survey shows how dramatically different boomers and Gen Yers ( sometimes called Millennials - anyone born after 1980) view appropriate use of technology at work.

"You can have Gen Y-ers who are busy looking at their BlackBerrys. They've got their laptops flipped open, they're engaging in social networking right during the course of a meeting, and you have a boomer rolling their eyes, not understanding it," says Michael Walsh, the CEO for LexisNexis U.S. Legal Markets. "Two-thirds of boomers that were surveyed indicated that they felt that use of devices, technology — such as e-mail, social networking, the Internet, etc. — contributed to a decline in office etiquette." Meanwhile, Gen X-ers are caught between having to manage and bridge the gap.

                                                                                                                                                NPR

Gen Yers spend so much time using social media at work that a New York University Professor coined the term "weisure" which refers to people who use what was once their free time for work and their work time for socializing.

All of this mixing of work and play is in marked contrast with how things used to be done. In the traditional work environment of previous generations, there were clear lines that demarcated professional life from home life, and though a worker might have worked late or spent a weekend at the office, when he or she went home they left their jobs at the office
                                                                                                                                           . Wisebread

The LexisNexis study confirms what many people have been feeling in the workplace. The generations have very different viewpoints on what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior when it comes to using technology and particpating in social media activities at work. What the study does not offer up is ways to bridge this cultural gap.

• While a over two thirds (68%) of all Boomers agree that PDAs andmobile phones contribute to a decline in proper workplace etiquette, less than half (46%) of Gen Y workers thinkso
• While over two thirds of Boomer workers think the use of a laptop or PDA during in-person meetings is “distracting”(68%), less than half (49%) of Gen Y workers think so
• While only 17% of Boomers think using laptops or PDAs during in-person meetings is “efficient,”over one third (35%) of Gen Y think it is.
• While only 28% of Boomers think that blogging about work-related issues is acceptable, 41% of Gen Y do
• While almost half of Gen Y workers (47%) think it’s acceptable to befriend a client on a social networking site, only 24% of Boomers do
• While only 38% of Boomers think it’s appropriate to befriend a colleague on a social networking site, over three quarters 76% of Gen Y workers do.

Some of the other findings:

• Gen Yers spend three times as much time reading blogs daily compared to boomers.
• While 39% of Gen Yers said they used gaming programs at work, only 14% of boomers said they did.
• Boomers say they spend an hour a day doing instant messages, Gen Yers say they spend over 3 hrs daily Iming.
• Only 11% of boomers say its essential to have a laptop in a meeting..32% of Gen Yers can't go to meetings without one.

Dress Code For Florida Town Says No to Non-Ear Piercings, Yes to Deodorant

The City of  Brookville,Florida just voted to implement a very controversial new dress code that among other things requires employees to wear underwear ( and who will be checking this) and deodorant.

It also bans employees from going to work with clothes emblazoned with foul language, nude or seminude pictures, or messages that promote drug use.

Halter tops and revealing "sexually provocative" garments are out. The same goes for piercings aside from the ear. Cuts and wounds must be covered.

The new policy was approved by a 4-1 vote. Only the mayor of the town voted against the new policy saying while the policy is designed to bring more professionalism their offices the underwear provision is "a little far-fetched."

Apologies to AT&T. It's The iPhone's Fault.

Dear AT&T,

Please accept my apology. I have been besmirching your good name for months. Going around and telling people that as much I had would love an iPhone I was not impressed with AT&T's service. All those dropped calls.

I'm now learning that I may have been blaming the wrong entity.

Turns out the guilty party is probably  not you at all,but the star of your product lineup. The adored iPhone.

When the iPhone was first released I suffered enormous iPhone envy. It was unrequited lust because AT&T is not my service provider,and I'm actually a very loyal Verizon customer.

Since those early days many friends and associates have taken up with the iPhone unable to resist those  irresistable apps, and promises of coolness by association. But for all its coolness, it seems the iPhone has some performance problems.

It has gotten so bad that some associates have started suggesting that I call them on their landlines. How retro is that?

  WARNING: Some explicit language. Just the F-word.