Boy Genius to Calculator Junkie

In kindergarten, I was on the path to becoming a boy genius with my natural curiosity and abilities in mathematics. While my classmates were busy learning how to count I was adding and subtracting. While my classmates were busy learning how to add and subtract I was learning how to do fractions. I spent a few sessions with the TAG (Talented and Gifted) group because of my innate mathematics ability. I thrived on being the smartest kid in class and having all the cute girls come to me with their math questions. MIT seemed like a done deal, until the fourth grade, when the infamous school supply list included a calculator. This was ultimately the death of my MIT dreams.

Instead of listening to my mother, and only using the calculator to ‘check‘ my work, I quickly learned that it could ‘do’ my work, leaving me with exponentially more time to play. I figured, ‘What the hell? I’m already head and shoulders ahead of everyone else in my class. It’s not  like I’m going to forget how to do this stuff.‘ The fifth grade came and it was multiplication tables time. I’d been doing these for about a year so no trouble at all right? Think again. In just a year’s time I’d already slumped back to the middle of the pack. I wasn’t the ‘smart kid‘ anymore I was just part of the group who actually knew basic math. My calculator habits increased as the complexity of the math problems increased.

In Middle School, it was recommended we upgrade our calculator to the TI-81. We had a set of these in the classroom that we routinely used and they were everything a little boy or girl could dream of. They were the closest thing to a palm computer to date. Now instead of spending math class actually learning math we were learning how to program the calculator to ‘check‘ our math. Again, the recommendation was made that we use the calculator as a tool not as a crutch otherwise we wouldn’t retain the knowledge we were being taught. My favorite button was the faction button where you could type in 2/3 + 1/8 and magically get the answer. I wasn’t great at adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing fractions so this button single handedly kept me at a grade A average in math class.

I need my fix man, Give me that Calculator!

I maintained a high enough level of math comprehension in middle school that I was able to test into either Algebra II or enter into the IMP (Interactive Math Program). I’ll have to save my thoughts on IMP for another rant, but I blame it  for my regression in math skills. For three years everything I did was with, and encouraged, a calculator. I decided to take the IMP track because, as a Freshman, it was the only way I’d be able to take Calculus in High School. Which if you follow my train of thought from the second grade, cute girls ask smart guys math questions, it’s pretty easy to see why I needed to be in Calculus.

I wasn’t aware of my basic math skills deterioration until I was in my senior year of High School taking Calculus. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I went shopping at the mall with my mother and they had a 33% off sale. If we timed my response time in the third grade vs. twelfth grade you would have found about a ten minute difference. It was pathetic and neither my mother nor I could figure out what was wrong with me. Thankfully I obtained college credit from my high school Calculus class, because when I did my college entry examines they placed me in the Math 110 level. I had college credit from the Math 251 and 252 level so things just didn’t make any sense. I talked to the chair of the mathematics department and it was finally clear as day: I had a better understanding of fundamental mathematic concepts in Elementary School than I did entering college.

In my best Jamie Foxx impression of the song ‘Blame It‘, I blame it on the calculator. In an effort to help future generations, I’m here to give a general warning to all kids and parents that the GPS system will be the calculator of my generation if you’re not careful.

Tom Tom go away and don’t come back another day

I have personally used a GPS system and agree that they are potential lifesavers. The turn-by-turn directional capabilities are remarkable. Having the ability to tell you how to travel from one location to the other using a few satellites and microchip just floors me.  The other part that floors me is how stupid people are to not process what the system is telling you and instead drive 400 miles off course, have your semitrailer stuck under a bridge, drive directly into a river, or actually be stupid enough to drive off a cliff. Isolated cases? I think not. Who knew the question, “If someone told you to jump off a bridge would you, ” could be answered emphatically: YES!

The counter argument stands that the individuals involved in these or other incidents are just plain dumb to begin with. I’d counter that they are sufferers of gadgetly induced convenience syndrome with side effects including: the inability to function limbs or brain independently, the inability to give tourists directional help, resembling the appearance of a vegetable, and uncontrollable drooling. Dependence has the same definition regardless of if its being used to describe a drug addict, computer nerd, or normal husband and wife.

The same thing your doctors tell you, ‘if you don’t exercise and use your body you will lose flexibility, tone, and muscle mass,’ can be said for your brain. I’m a believer that Alzheimer’s and Dementia occur because of poor brain stimulation. This is a direct correlation to becoming complacent, relying on, or settling on the use of anything other than your brain. I’m hear to say that the more popular and frequently used GPS systems become, the higher the % Alzheimer’s and Dementia sufferers there will be.

Let our eyes be the filter to our journey

Inventions, patents, and shortcuts were all created from the experience and knowledge of someone else. If you master the use of these shortcuts or devices it’s not translating the knowledge of the creator to you. Instead, you must travel a similar learning path to obtain a similar knowledge base. It’s the same reason why degree programs have a specific set of classes you must take before you’re considered knowledgeable in the field. If you rely on the directions or work of others, specifically your GPS system, you’ll never know what to do during an adverse situation. What if there’s traffic? What if the road is flooded out? What if you’ll be late if you take the route recommended and simply driving faster isn’t an option? Relying exclusively on a GPS system is a calculated risk that your hoping never comes to fruition. It’s the same risk you take by not having car insurance, health insurance, or financial savings. Every time you walk out the door you’re putting your health, safety, and trust in a little device controlled by objects in the sky.

Time will always be the #1 excuse used, ‘I just don’t have the time to BLANK,’ for why can or cannot do something. I’m here to lobby that keeping future generations directionally savvy is a trait worth investing time in. Being directionally savvy requires critical thinking, information retention, and mathematics all of which are life necessities. Without directionally savvy generations we’ll be forced back to relying on computers. It’s comparable to Christopher Columbus relying on a map for his journey to America (we all know how successful that was). Break away from the technological crutch and become independent. I have a feeling that cute girls, and guys, like directionally savvy people too.

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1. New Year’s Goals

Health & Wellness

Last year my goals were set on running a marathon while ‘getting huge’. They were pretty counteractive, but in the end both were accomplished. I’m STILL feeling the ill effects, nearly three months later, from running the marathon. As a result, I’ve decided 2010 is NOT the year to try and beat my time. I do plan to run a marathon again, someday, but I need a more consistent program without having injury cycles every 2 weeks. My running goals for this year are to participate, at 100% health, in Hood to Coast, for my 4th consecutive year, and run at least one half-marathon. If I can end the running season at full strength, heading into basketball season, I will call 2010 a success in the running department. On the lifting side, I want to continue to progress towards my goal of not physically looking like an ‘8 year old girl’ while gaining more functional strength. I think the proof is in the pudding and simply making the decision to lift three days a week every week, for the past two years (I’ve only missed about 7 days total in that span), has been the true testament to my results and success.

Knowledge

I’ve had a bit of a relapse since I graduated and found myself not having my normal curious nature since birth. This needs to change or I will become bored and a trouble maker just like when my mother started me in school a year early. I want to learn and expand my computer skills in the areas of web design, graphic design, and coding. I’ve always been a computer nerd, but currently have some extra time to actually dedicate to this mission. I specifically want to re-design this website and create at least one additional personal web project. This website has unfortunately become stale over the past six months because of the subject constraints. I enjoy working and learning about social media, but it’s not something that I can write about every single day. I became an exponentially better writer over the past year simply by going through the exercise of writing a blog post on a daily basis. I need to make it easier to write on a daily basis. By re-designing the website, and blog, it will open up my abilities to write on any subject I desire. My website re-design will also give me th opportunity to brand myself professionally. Look for the re-design to be released sometime in May if not sooner.

In addition, to the computer based knowledge I want to get back into the regular routine of reading. Not just blogs, but actual books. I believe when I was 12 years old and reading on a regular basis I was much smarter than I am today. The computer and the calculator have been the rebirth and death of me all at the same time. I was a math genius until someone said I needed to buy a TI-83 calculator and I use to love reading books until the Internet was born. My mission is to read at least two non-technical books per month.

Personal Skills

Like my knowledge, I feel my lack of curiosity has stunted my growth as a person over the past few years. I’ve become a shut in of sorts and have the social skills of a Hobbit. I’m over exaggerating a bit, but I do feel the need to get out of my comfort zone and leave the nest more than I ever have before. I’m still committed to my goal of buying a house, but I doubt that will be accomplished by my 23rd birthday. Instead, I want to get to know Portland better. I finally have a car and need to take advantage of this transportation source to get out. My mission is to make a more concerted effort to get out and see the Portland nightlife. I’ve met so many great new people during the past few weeks that it would be a personal injustice to not continue the trend into the warmer months.

In addition, to seeing Portland’s nightlife is my desire to increase my cooking skills. I can make the staples for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I’m not going to wow a date with my cuisine’s flavor. My grandfather has always been curious in the kitchen and I feel it’s time the torch was passed to me. So get ready mom, a few more kitchen disastrous are on their way!

Conclusion

My efforts to return to my habits of high school, being as well rounded as possible, will help ignite my curiosity and peak my intelligence. In the words of Blink 182, “Nobody likes you when your 23” so why not do what I want to, when I want to, and how I want to while I still can.

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1. The Portland Marathon Needs More Social Media Outlets
2. Could Experience & Social Media Replace an MBA?

First lets analyze an MBA and the advantages it could bring you. About 80 percent of business executives say a graduate degree is important to reach senior management within a company. An MBA could also give you negotiation leverage on job title and salary. Overall you’ll sharpen your communication skills, analytical skills, quantitative skills, and have a further understanding of how business should be run.

Of course for all of that knowledge you’ll be spending at least $40,000 a year and close to $100,000 for a two-year MBA program. Other factors on your MBA ROI will be if you’re staying at the same company, the amount of relevant experience you have, the industry you’re going into, the type of job you’re seeking, and the reputation of the school you attended.

Now I’m poking fun at graduate students with this photo, but in all seriousness I think there’s some validity to being able to utilize social media to garner the same skills an MBA would get you.

With an MBA you’ll be reading over case studys and examples of businesses that failed and businesses that were successful. Your job is to determine what actions caused them to reach their final destination and what could have been done differently to garner a more favorable outcome. Lets bring in Twitter to counter this example. Thousands of intelligent businessmen and women are tweeting while thousands more are tweeting about what these individuals are doing. By doing some legwork you could structure your own curriculum while using tweets and Twitter posted articles as your sources. It also gives you the opportunity to talk and ask questions directly to the source instead of it being in a piece of literature with a professor guiding you. Next we have the infamous lectures that you may relish or sleep through depending on your viewpoint. Lets have YouTube enter for this example. Now I haven’t found specific class lectures posted,which is a great idea, but I have found several lectures like Bill Gates address to Harvard University. If video is truly on the rise I would expect having the capabilities to find a lecture on any subject matter that you desire to fulfill the void from not being an MBA student. Last, but certainly not least, are these things called books. For example there’s the book What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School: Notes From A Street-Smart Executive. Now of course I’d be naive to think that by simply reading this book, watching a few videos, and tweeting could suffice what an MBA does. However, if you actually built out a curriculum, crafted your subject matter, and ensured you were retaining your knowledge I think you’d have a pretty good argument.

I’m by no means putting down anyone who’s currently, or has been through, an MBA program. I believe for every rectangle there’s a trapezoid that could accomplish the same thing. A different perspective and methodology could help you get the same skill set and information that you would through an MBA. The steps I laid out would have to be in conjunction with work experience. I think that an MBA can get you in the door, but your ability to solve problems directly affecting the business can only be accomplished through physical working experience. By supplementing an MBA with the use of concentrated social media use, we will see a new bread of executives that wont be intimidated by the growth of technology.

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1. The Social Media Engager Gets Structured

What about 8 years ago today on September 11th, 2001? I can’t recall a time in my life that our country was more united. If Tim Tebow is NOW going to work harder than anyone has ever seen before, why wasn’t he doing that before the Ole Miss game? If our country NOW pledges to be united and come together, why weren’t we doing this before 9/11? Why does it takes these types of events to produce the results we’ve witnessed? I don’t have an answer to that question, but I can answer questions about myself.

I personally believe that everyone regardless of age, race, gender, demographics, religion, occupation, or income should abide and follow the following four quotes:

Perception is Everything

Control the things that you can control

If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all

Treat other’s how you want to be treated

I can’t think of a moment or situation in my life that you wouldn’t use these quotes. Your own personal happiness and success can be directly attributed to how you use these quotes. Lets break each one down:

Perception is Everything

Your perception is everything because you are what you’re perceived to be. I’m perceived to be a smart, funny, athletic, hard working, stubborn, negative, complaining, unsatisfied, pain in the ass, who is a recent college grad that is immature, and doesn’t know a fucking thing about the business world. As painful as it is for me to write this, because this is others perception of me, I am all of those things. Ideally you would want to be perceived as a likable, hardworking, indispensable person, but not everyone can. If the perception of you is that you’re a bullshitter, then you are a bullshitter. If people perceive that you’re a kiss ass, then you are a kiss ass. If people perceive that you don’t do anything at work all day, then you probably aren’t doing anything at work.

If people perceive you as an uplifting team player, then you are an uplifting team player. If people perceive you as an indispensable asset to your company, then you are an indispensable asset to your company. What can you do you enhance your perception? Lets take a look at quote number two for some added advice.

Control the things that you can control

You cannot control the fact that your coworker always complains about how busy they are, but they work eight to five, take a two hour lunch, and on average play five games of company foosball a day. You cannot control whether or not your coworkers complete their part of your project for you. You can’t control how people perceive you. What you can control is your attitude, your work ethic, your patience, and your overall quality of life. I can’t control how I’m perceived by others, but I can control what I say, my morale, my work ethic, and my education. What you can control correlates with the third quote.

If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all

This is something that I can personally control and can also affect my perception. I’ve said a lot of bad things about a lot of people. I’ve complained, groaned, bitched, and argued. Unfortunately, what I say can affect and influence people’s perception of me and others regardless of my intentions. I may be being sarcastic or trying to make a joke, but calling someone a fat, lazy, asshole doesn’t help anyone. While this makes me feel better about myself, it’s negatively affecting the perception of me and the morale of others. This leads us to the fourth and final quote.

Treat others how you want to be treated

Treating others how you want to be treated means only saying things that are positive or constructively positive, controlling what you can control, and by treating others how you want to be treated you’re affecting your perception positively. If you hate that your boss is lazy and always drops work on you because he simply doesn’t want to do it, don’t dump your work on someone else or return the favor when you are finally in a position of authority. Shit doesn’t have to roll down hill if you control what you can control. If you’re tired of people telling you that’s wrong with you, don’t talk about what’s wrong with everyone else. Finally, if you want others to perceive you as a likable, hardworking, indispensable person then control what you can control, only discuss things with a positive frame of mind, and treat others how you want to be treated.

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1. 10 Inspirational Quotes for Lagging Motivation

I was severely dehydrated and nauseous to the point I didn’t know if I was going to be able to complete the race. Last year at the Hood to Coast I gave my team a severe scare when nearly 5 hours after my leg I still had not recovered and actually started to get the chills. In the end, I sucked it up, ate some food, drank some water, and completed the event. I was extremely disappointed and frustrated with my performance at the Hood to Coast. I made a vow to myself that on January 1st of 2009 I’d start my training for the next Hood to Coast which will not take place until mid-August.

I’m currently in week 19 of 32 for my Hood to Coast training. My weekly mileage is 39 miles and my long run for the week is 12 miles. I started looking at my projected training log and saw that by August my weekly mileage would be 50 miles and my long run would be 17 miles. Listening to my body, I could also feel that my long runs, of late, were not difficult, and in fact, depending on the pace, were quite easy no matter the mileage.

This is when I started to think I could complete, my dream goal, of running the Portland Marathon. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anywhere to turn for advice or guidance on my decision. I went to the Portland Marathon website hoping they’d have a Facebook account or forum to listen to stories and ask questions for those thinking about doing their first marathon, but they had nothing.

I understand the Portland Marathon is in the business of promoting their event and training programs, but wouldn’t it cut down their costs if they knew everyone could complete the run? While I wasn’t 100% convinced I should enter the Portland Marathon, their promotions of an increase in price by May 15th was enough to motivate me towards entering the race.

By creating a forum or utilizing social media the Portland Marathon could actively communicate with potential entrants and assist them with their decision to run the race or not. More seasoned marathoners could communicate with each other, exchange training programs, and give inspiring stories to the newbies who hope to just get across the finish line. My lofty goal, besides completing the Portland Marathon, is to qualify for the Boston Marathon with a 3:10 or below marathon.

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1. New Year’s Goals

Trader Joe’s has a lot of buzz among some big time bloggers. Freakonomics blogger Stephen J. Dubner, marketing sensation Seth Godin, and Slate blogger Andy Bowers. They also have a Trader Joe’s Fan site, sites dedicated to featuring Trader Joe’s products (like their Gingerbread House kits and Quesadillas), sites that cook recipes only with Trader Joe’s products (this one makes a tasty Vegetarian Mushroom Moussaka), a Trader Joe’s Flickr Account, and the world famous un-official Trader Joe’s Commercial.

This entirely unbranded and automated-esque Twitter account needs a Twitter strategy and focus. Instead of interacting with customers the Twitter account appears to show any and every tweet that mentions Trader Joes. I would take a page out of Erin Groner’s book and try and replicate what: @WholeFoods, @ScottMonty (Ford), @LindsayLebresco (Graco), @MarriottIntl, @Wachovia, @DIRECTV, @CarnivalCruise, @Chargers, or @BestBuyRemix has done.

Moving beyond the Twitter scope, Trader Joes needs to apply David Armano’s suggestions across any social media platform they engage in: Listen, Learn, Adapt, and Respond. I’m not going to state Trader Joes needs a Facebook, Myspace, or any other specific social media platform. Maybe Trader Joe’s should create their own customized social media community using Ning or Kickapps?

Traditionally, Trader Joes has sat back and let their products do the talking. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever come across a Trader Joes advertisement! Word of mouth is the most commonly used form of advertisement and Trader Joes has been utilizing it perfectly. Given the volume of support and free press, Trader Joes needs to start engaging with social media. Trader Joes will then need to move beyond social media engagement, and actually provide value to the conversation, to make their social media use successful. Social media interaction be as cost sensitive as word of mouth advertisement, yet have a greater impact because of its viral nature. Hopefully Trader Joes will catch this disease soon.

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1. PF Changs Needs To Get More Social
2. The Social Media Engager Gets Structured

Sirius Radio ‘No-Shows’ On Customer Service

My father, a lifetime subscriber of Sirius, recently had to replace his Sirius Radio because the transmitter inside the radio was dying. When he first bought the plan he was informed that he could upgrade his radio for free three times. After purchasing his new radio and having it professionally installed he was told by Sirius he would have to pay $75 for activation. We contacted Sirius via their customer service and through broken English were told their was nothing they could do when in the contract it says they have the right to change any and everything. We also e-mailed them three separate occasions without a response.

Unfortunately, this is another case of customer-no-service on all levels. The sales associate that first sold my father his radio was either misinformed or not informed of all of the fine print details outlined in the Sirius Terms & Conditions. Otherwise the ‘lifetime subscriber’ offer really doesn’t sound like that great of a deal. According to the terms and conditions, each new radio requires the $75 activation fee and after the third new radio the contract is null and void. Add in the fact Sirius doesn’t respond to customer’s e-mails via their contact-us page and you have a real problem.

One of my coworkers, Amanda Bernard, informed me that her Husband was also a Sirius subscriber, but canceled his subscription. Several months later he received a bill in the mail claiming he owned money for the month. He was told that someone has re-activated his account, but would not show proof merely that he owned the money. I couldn’t imagine a company with such a great product executing so poorly.

Sirius Radio Social Media is Inexistent

If you do a Google search for Sirius you’re bound to find plenty of articles, affiliate sites, or product sites selling radios. What you wont find from Sirius is any form of social media outreach. Two other companies that have been bashed over the head about customer service or product problems are Dell and Comcast. What did they do to turn things around? Engage in social media and provide customers the ability to be heard. Lee Odden put together a list of 25 Social Media Tips that would help any struggling company like Sirius. At this point, something is better then nothing. If you’re not willing to respond to e-mails and your outsourcing your customer service to India the least you could do is set up a Twitter feed and respond to complaints in real time like Frank Eliason from Comcast.

Sirius Radio is yet another company that is stuck in the stone age trying to churn out product and subscriptions without regards to customer satisfaction. Like any aspiring business you’re bound to run into roadblocks and experience growing pains. Don’t let responding to your customer base be one of them.

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Richard Federico received a 45 pay increase percent increase, but he still has a long way to go before creating an unbeatable Asian restaurant chain. Restaurants, in general, appear reluctant to devote resources into their web presence or social media use. After all, it doesn’t matter how functional your site is if your food stinks you wont get any customers. PF Changs however is a successful, dynamic, and atmospheric Asian restaurant with a great menu. It’s time they create they next Chinese dynasty, in the kitchen, with the help of social media.

PF Changs cannot use the excuse their is not enough conversation volume to warrant social media engagement. On average, 450,000 people in the United States search for PF Changs per month! 8,415 blogs posts have been written about PF Changs since the beginning of the year. The number of Twitter users talking about PF Changs is too many to count. The volume is there it’s just a matter of creating, listening, and interacting.

The first thing I would do is set up a blog, official Twitter account, and Facebook page. Give it that authentic PF Changs brand look to let fellow addicts know you are listening to them. Set up Google alerts and Twitter search feeds to know exactly when people are talking about PF Changs. Then find someone to monitor your conversations, get some interns, and start responding to the masses.

PF Changs brand appeal is large enough they would not require self promotion simply to make consumers aware of their product. Many brands fall into the trap of engaging in social media and then simply utilizing social media tools for self promotion. If PF Changs does engage in self promotion it should be along the lines of promoting new deals, new menu items, or their involvement with the community. No one wants to hear you pat yourself on the back, you have enough loyal customers to do that for you.

PF Changs is a great Asian cuisine restaurant that is on the cusp of being in demand nationwide. The use of social media would enable PF Changs to utilize the Internet’s form of word of mouth advertisement. A blog, Twitter, and Facebook account accompanied by some monitoring and responding is all PF Changs would need. Then PF Changs might not have enough seats for their phenomenal happy hour instead simply having me.

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1. Trader Joe’s Needs More Social Media Interaction

The movie rental industry of 2009 can be broken down into several different segments. In-store rental, online rental, self service rental, or on-demand. In-store rental is comprised of Blockbuster, Hollywood, and other similar businesses. Their appeal stems from customers who don’t want to go to the movie theater, but have a desire to watch a movie at that moment. The convenience of renting from one of these establishments is a premeditated thought process is not necessary. If you want a movie then you drive to the store and if it’s in stock you pick it up and take it home. To adapt to customer’s complaints and suggestions Blockbuster instilled a no-late fee return policy. They adapted again in 2006 creating Blockbuster Total Access an online program that would compete with Netflix. Unfortunately for Blockbuster, and other in-store rental establishments, consumers are not happy with their product. Forums such as I Hate Blockbuster and articles like CNet’s Blockbuster streaming: Too late show it doesn’t matter what your business model is if your customer service sucks. You also run into the factor that many of the top movies are not in stock which completely defeats the purpose of going to the movie store. What’s the point if you can just use one of the alternatives?

Online rental, such as Netflix, was created and instantly gave chills down the industries spine. Not only were late fees a non-factor, but customers didn’t have to leave their house to rent a movie anymore. All you needed was a computer and you could queue up all of your favorite movies to be delivered directly to your door. For busy business people the monthly fee made more sense then potentially forgetting to return a movie and being charge a late fee. Movie addicts had the ability to watch as many movies as they wanted in a month’s time. While Netflix had the reliability of ‘always in stock’ movies they forced customers to have a premeditated, “I want to see this movie at this time,” instead of instantly. You wouldn’t be able to watch Boondock Saints at anytime you wanted to. This downside, once again, left the door open for potential competitors.

On-demand movie rental took advantage of the industry’s weaknesses and exploited them to the fullest degree. Virtually any movie at anytime could be played on your TV with just the click of a button. No computers, no driving, no phone calls, no nothing. All you needed to do was select the movie and accept the charges that would be placed on your credit card bill. Frankly this seemed like a pretty fool-proof business model that couldn’t possibly be beaten. That is until Redbox gained momentum.

Redbox is the new kid on the block, but they haven’t wasted anytime creating buzz. Their product isn’t any different than a Blockbuster or Hollywood, but their pricing system of $1 is much, much different. The machine locations can typically be found in McDonald’s, but also at grocery stores, gas stations, Wallgreens, Walmart, and more. Essentially Redbox enables customers to grab a movie 24/7. Their title selection, while limited in comparison to Netlflix, is current and trendy. For only a $1 you can see Academy Award winning movies and the selection rotates frequently.

What makes Redbox stand out among its competitors is their engagement of social media and Internet marketing. Redbox movies cost $1, but if you sign up for their e-mail or SMS updates you can get a code for a free movie once a week! Another no so publicized site is Inside Redbox . This site is not affiliated with Redbox, but they release free rental codes as often as twice a week. In additional the Insider Redbox keeps users up to date on the latest releases and other great Redbox information.

So how can Redbox possibly make money if they’re giving away free DVD’s twice a week? First, customers have to bring their free DVD back by 9pm the next day or they are charged $1, the normal price, for the rental. Any company that offers a free trial membership or date pending action can make a substantial amount of money on customers who forget to complete all the necessary actions. This is why credit card companies make money. If everyone paid their bill on time or paid the balance they’d go out of business. The other factor is Redbox has an extremely loyal following. If you decide on Thursday that you really want to see a movie, that you know Redbox has, why wouldn’t you go use their services? Customers believe that since Redbox already gave them a free movie on Monday if they pay for one on Thursday they’ve come out even.

Still not convinced it’s a viable business? In February 2009, Coinstar purchased the remaining shares of Redbox from McDonald’s for $175 million, making Coinstar the sole owner.

The movie rental industry continues to remain vulnerable and volatile, but Redbox has added stability. By listening to consumers demands they’ve positioned their brand and business as an industry leader in a few short years. Redbox has the use of social media and Internet marketing to thank for their assent to the top. Redbox, like Zappos, chose to listen and react instead of force their services on consumers. Maybe if Blockbuster listened they wouldn’t find themselves on the outside looking in.

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Through the help of my readers and friends I’ve created a structure that I believe will be a win-win.

“Help my Brand Monday’s” – Had and unpleasant experience or struggling to get by? Through the suggestions of others and experiences of my own I’ll be breaking down company brand’s and how they could be using social media to better the customer experience.

“Teach me Technology Tuesday’s” – The idea was a mashup from my first posts about being a social media know it all and also my online search marketing tips. Any and everything goes so long as it’s tech and its purpose is to educate.

“Music Wednesday’s” – Everyone seems to have a band or group, but few are utilizing the web properly. Like my Help my Brand Monday’s I’ll be discussing some of my favorite music groups and where they rank among the social media elite.

“Trendy Thursday’s” – This suggestion came from one of my college business school friend’s and the Nordstrom’s selling queen Morgan Mosset. I’ve shown during my day job, at EngineWorks, that fashion and style CAN be one of my fortes. My coworkers often call me either the best dressed or the unibomber depending on my mood and clothing of the day. This versatility is what’s led me to believe I might actually have a shot of writing a fashion driven post.

“Foodie Friday’s” – My family has given me the nickname Mongo which as illustrated via the video above can be very dangerous. My coworkers can also attest to the fact I never stop eating. Quantity isn’t always my priority and I’ve given myself the title of bento connoisseur. I’ve been around my parents long enough to have tasted an array of food and beverages. I’ll be sharing my mature pallet on Friday’s.

“Sport Saturday’s” – My sports addiction will have the opportunity to be released once a week. I could probably open an entirely new blog and site revolving around sports, but I’ll keep these posts as Internet relevant as possible!

“Flex Sunday’s” – Everyone needs a day off. Depending on the mood, weather, and a multitude of other things I will opt to write about whatever I please or just choose to take the day off.

Thank you to everyone’s contributions and hopefully this will lead to a much more fulfilling process!

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