Recent Life Reflections...by Rebecca D. Levinson- May 2009
I am not a philosopher nor an anthropologist. I am not a historian nor an ethics gatekeeper but there are a few things that have just really gotten to me over the past few weeks.
Today I am going to share a few.
1. Fear tactics in marketing
The article "Writing PPC Ad Copy That Delivers: 6 Best Practices" in the Spring '09
Issue of
Search Marketing Standard the author David Rodnitzky gives some practical advice for writing PPC copy that delivers click thrus. I was very interested in the content of the article and found it to be insightful, but was then saddened by Rodnitzky's statement in Item 6. of which he lists the basic human emotions that drive PPC ads, "....fear, greed, vanity and exclusivity".
My thoughts: In a web 2.0 world of online transparency, the old school fear tactics in the advertising world still elicit human response and action that drive purchases online.
2. Segregation of Community
- Online communities help us to extend our reach beyond the confines of geography and spanning across generational lines. The ability to make meaningful connections and learn new things is stronger now than before because of technology. Yet across many social networking venues there seems to be an emphasis on "who you know" even if those you know don't say much that is different from anyone else.
My thoughts: Having relocated a good 28 plus times in my lifetime, mostly during my childhood, I realize that we are more the same than we are different. I would welcome a blue collar worker or a high profile attorney to my dinner table any day of the week. I would react to them based on the content of their character, first, foremost, and always.
3. Separation of Family Values
- I was looking at my 12 year old daughter Zoe's school papers last week and found a worksheet where she had to fill in the blanks of the different parts of the label of a prescription bottle of pills. There were also questions on the worksheet that she had to answer when it came to different types of medication and their purpose and use.
When I asked Zoe about the worksheet she told me that her class had to complete it because so many kids are latch key kids and if they get sick they will know what to do when they are home alone. She also mentioned to me that her class also had to watch the movie "Supersize Me" and she almost got sick at the end and didn't make it through the movie.
My thoughts: I wish I had planned my work schedule better so I could home school my children.
4. Death of Newspapers
- The only newspaper I read anymore is my local Lake Geneva Times and the Community Shopper that come 2-3 times/week to my door. I used to subscribe to the Chicago Tribune and pick up a Milwaukee Times on Sundays but not anymore. I can usually pick up story lines that interest me much faster online. At a recent dinner with family I asked a full table of 10 adults who buys newspapers and the only ones who did were my sister and her boyfriend to line their gerbil's cage.
My thoughts: I hope the great reporters of our time are able to find jobs as community journalists in online venues and I hope venture capitalists will support community journalists because good investigative reporting can take significant financial backing.
5. Trickle Down Effect of News- The Insanity Factor
- My son came home from school last week and told me that a new student had just come from Mexico to their school. The kids were teasing the child about having Swine Flu.
Earlier this week I read an article about more Swine Flu crazed action, "China Forces Dozens of Mexican Travelers Into Quarantine".
My thoughts: Apparently leading by example is actually leading by panic.
You won't often see me rant about "How a blog sucks" or sock puppet commenting, c'mon with an adoption rate of social networking and blogging in the real estate industry of 7%, people are still learning.
But life reflections....real human stories and offline life, this is the stuff that gets me going and that I think about, write about, talk about, am "transparent" about.
I welcome your conversation on my blog and I am inviting your discussion- turbulent, reflective, or celebratory, please feel free to chime in about your recent life reflections in the comments below.
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