Skeptical Advocate of Cloud and Social

I really want to be an advocate of all things social. of all things community, but sometimes the numbers make me look stupid. How many people would you think subscribe to the Google Docs blog? I thought it would be tens of thousands of people. With all the conversation about the Cloud, all the people that use Google every day, and I mean Gmail, Google search who come into contact with Google Docs in some way. I was amazed to see only 33,437 subscribe to this blog. Are you surprised or are my expectations too high?

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Awareness by Anthony de Mello

I am reading this wonderful book given to me by a neighbor because of the conversations we have had over the years.

He and I come from opposite ends of the political spectrum. We both also enjoy discovering new perspectives or at least trying to understand them. This book is about the ability to rejoice in understanding what is around you. To discover who you are. It also has a spiritual aspect to it, not religious but spiritual. A great line about Jesus in the book was spoken by someone who was not Christian who said, "the lovely thing about Jesus was that he was so at home with sinners, because he understood that he wasn't one bit better than they were." We differ from criminals only in what we do or don't do, not in what we are.

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A Public Service Post

>> 545 PEOPLE --By Charlie Reese
>>>> Politicians are the only
>> people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..
>>>> Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans
>> are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits ?
>>>> Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
>> and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes ?
>>>> You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
>>>> You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.
>>> The House of Representatives does.
>>>> You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
>>>> You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
>>>> You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank
>> does.
>>>> One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme
>> Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are
>> directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic
>>> problems that plague this country.
>>>> I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem
>>> was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional
>>> duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private,
>> central bank.
>>>> I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
>> They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator,
>> a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't
>> care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The
>> politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the
>> lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine
>> how he votes.
>>>> Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that
>> what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless
>>> of party.
>>>> What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive
>> amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker,
>> who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.....
>> The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress
>> to accept it.
>>>> The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
>> responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving
>>> appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi.
>>> She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members,
>> not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President
>> vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
>>>> It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace
>>> 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence
>> and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that
>> is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the
>> plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government,
>>> then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
>>>> If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
>>>> If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red
>> ..
>>>> If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan
>> it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan
>> ...
>>>> If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement
>> plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that
>> way.
>>>> There are no insoluble government problems.
>>>> Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they
>> hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice
>>> they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to
>> regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let
>> them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical
>> forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent
>> them from doing what they take an oath to do.
>>>> Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
>>>> They, and they alone, have the power..
>>>> They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who
>> are their bosses.
>>>> Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
>>>> We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their
>> mess!
>>>> Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
>>>> What you do with this article now that you have read it......... Is
>> up to you.
>> This might be funny if it weren't so true.
>> Be sure to read all the way to the end:
>> Tax his land,
>> Tax his bed,
>>>>>>>>>> Tax the table,
>> At which he's fed.
>> Tax his tractor,
>> Tax his mule,
>> Teach him taxes
>> Are the rule.
>> Tax his work,
>> Tax his pay,
>> He works for peanuts anyway!
>> Tax his cow,
>> Tax his goat,
>> Tax his pants,
>> Tax his coat.
>> Tax his ties,
>> Tax his shirt,
>> Tax his work,
>> Tax his dirt.
>> Tax his tobacco,
>> Tax his drink,
>> Tax him if he
>> Tries to think.
>> Tax his cigars,
>> Tax his beers,
>> If he cries
>> Tax his tears.
>> Tax his car,
>> Tax his gas,
>> Find other ways
>> To tax his ass.
>> Tax all he has
>> Then let him know
>> That you won't be done
>> Till he has no dough.
>> When he screams and hollers;
>> Then tax him some more,
>> Tax him till
>> He's good and sore.
>> Then tax his coffin,
>> Tax his grave,
>> Tax the sod in
>> Which he's laid...
>> Put these words
>> Upon his tomb,
>> Taxes drove me
>> to my doom...'
>> When he's gone,
>> Do not relax,
>> Its time to apply
>> The inheritance tax..
>> Accounts Receivable Tax
>> Building Permit Tax
>> CDL license Tax
>> Cigarette Tax
>> Corporate Income Tax
>> Dog License Tax
>> Excise Taxes
>> Federal Income Tax
>> Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
>> Fishing License Tax
>> Food License Tax
>> Fuel Permit Tax
>> Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
>> Gross Receipts Tax
>> Hunting License Tax
>> Inheritance Tax
>> Inventory Tax
>> IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
>> Liquor Tax
>> Luxury Taxes
>> Marriage License Tax
>> Medicare Tax
>> Personal Property Tax
>> Property Tax
>> Real Estate Tax
>> Service Charge Tax
>> Social Security Tax
>> Road Usage Tax
>> Recreational Vehicle Tax
>> Sales Tax
>> School Tax
>> State Income Tax
>> State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
>> Telephone Federal Excise Tax
>> Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
>> Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
>> Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
>> Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
>> Telephone State and Local Tax
>> Telephone Usage Charge Tax
>> Utility Taxes
>> Vehicle License Registration Tax
>> Vehicle Sales Tax
>> Watercraft Registration Tax
>> Well Permit Tax
>> Workers Compensation Tax
>>>>>> STILL THINK
>> THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our
>> nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no
>> national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed
>>> home to raise the kids.
>>>> What in the hell happened?
>> Can you spell 'politicians?'
>>>> I hope this goes around
>> THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
>> GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!
>

Is it just me?

This comes under the heading of society.

I get the impression sometimes that we humans try to be a efficient and durable as machines. That we are measured on our productivity, by the labor department, our employer, our peers, and ourselves.

Do you feel like you are always doing and not living?


Albert Maruggi President Provident Partners
Senior Fellow Society for New Communications Research
www.providentpartners.net amaruggi@providentpartners.net
Office 612-293-7640
Cell 612-325-8126
Twitter.com/AlbertMaruggi

These are items for weekend reading

Yes this is not pretty, but it will give you two excellent articles, one on content marketing and one are economics and class structure that will make you think 

10 Steps to Optimize Your Content Marketing Strategy

 From Lee Odden at Top Rank Marketing 

Is America's Middle Class Going the Way of China?  - From Seeking Alpha's Cam Hui


Albert Maruggi
Marketing Edge Podcast and Blog 
Skype - ProvidentPartners


How to be Different?

I’m constantly amazed at how corporate managers want their marketing or their culture to be different, yet want to be assured of success by seeking reinforcing data.  You can’t be different by following others, by looking for certainty in previous examples. Success becomes clear when there is a conviction to produce a product or service that is different or at the very least, one that exceeds expectations.  As a business consultant, I am brought into companies to devise creative ways to position a product or company.  In this process there is a rush of wanting to be different, yet the closer you get to implementing change, the higher the anxiety becomes. 

There is no longer security in the status quo.  The only security is in the knowledge you get from your customers, and the conversations taking place among individuals in the market. 

Setting the Record Straight on My Purchase of www.nytpick.com

I’m posting this just because the article that mentioned me in depth about possibly being behind the NYTPicker blog is wrong, funny, but wrong.  The ASSME blog has not posted my comment as of 6:00AM EDT  about 36 hours after I submitted the comment so I think it best to make sure my response is somewhere online. I even contacted the editor Sheila McClear who said she would check on it.  This is the way their page displays regarding my comment.

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  I really think the author of the post Steve Huff has taken a satirical approach to the piece. All the same as the guy about whom he is attributing a blog which is about a major international newspaper, I feel compelled to set the record straight. 

As a person who counsels companies about understanding the web, I believe my actions are the best counsel in this case.   I don’t want Huff’s false premise to stand and gain digital credibility, yet my perception is it is a piece that was done more in the spirit of humor than a factual milestone.   Therefore my response is in a similar tone, and those who know my writing on Media Bullseye  know I take joy in coaxing a smile out of readers.  

So enjoy this post which in large part appears here because I think it necessary not to be absent from this digital record for in this case I am certain of the facts.  The smaller and italics type is copied from the response page after submitting the comments. 

1.                    
Albert Maruggi
on Sep 9th, 2009
@ 12:48 am

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

This is a good one, I mean classic conspiracy theory stuff. Tell me Steveo, are you still looking for the pictures of Neil Armstrong stepping foot on the Nevada desert laughing his ass off, “One small step for man. OH no guys I can’t go through with this.” Are you wondering why Armstrong caved? Yeah me too.

Ok Ok, It’s obvious you don’t know me. Want to? , Podcasts back to February 2005, hundreds of blog posts and comments on other blogs, 8,483 Tweets (Like twice what you have and I hate to think what that says about my life) , Facebook, LinkedIn. Oh you never call, you never write, to ask me, “Hey Al what’s with your name as the originator of the NYTpick.com domain a couple of years ago?

I would not have either, you’d have ended up with a boring story like the real reason I registered http://www.NYTPick.com

The real reason was a friend of mine wanted to do a Sunday night conversation podcast of what we thought were interesting articles in that day’s New York Times. Why the New York Times? We appreciate journalism and outside of the Jayson Blair thing,http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/national/11PAPE.html I was a loyal New York Times reader, I cancelled my subscription because of that credibility body blow, nothing to do with not wanting the news on processed trees.

The conversations we thought would be fun never got off the ground. My buddy and I have active families, spending time in the office editing a podcast on Sunday night wasn’t something we could pull off. I let the domain expire.

Now that that’s settled, Steve you write some entertaining stuff even if it is a bunch of Bull. In this wild west of new journalism as long as you spell the name right and get the links for the right SEO phrases, I could care less and you did thanks!

Hey we should do a podcast together about… on second thought, that won’t work.

All the best,

Albert Maruggi
The man behind the man behind the curtain.

When Digital Funny Can Leave A Mark

Holy Hanna , what did I just do for a laugh?! Lee Odden, author of Top Rank Blog, a wonderful resource, Tweeted this

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In a moment of humor, I am trying to be a leading Twitter Comic providing Tweeting improvisation based on other’s tweets, I respond with the following

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NOTE: smiley face at end. After I hit send I’m thinking, Yikes! What if it gets RTed?  What if it starts a Tweeter trend #MaruggiDrinking  or worse yet #MaruggiDrinkingAgain  - What if my life insurance company is tracking its customers’ habits and feeding their tweets into their database. What if my in-laws are tracking me, (and they are)?  It’s just 140 characters people, a little chuckle. Should my response be “Lighten Up Francis”  Should I Tweet a retraction?

Let me consult my influencers.

Oh God, there really is a Tweeter named Doubt, I’m hosed.   

Lesson Learned: Social Media will eventually stifle all communication.  :> }

Albert Maruggi

President of Provident Partners

Senior Fellow - Society for New Communications Research

612-325-8126 cell

651-695-0174 office

790 Cleveland Avenue South

Suite 221

St. Paul, MN 55116

www.providentpartners.net - Marketing Edge Podcast and Blog at www.providentpartners.net/blog

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