….in the content players’ desire not to send spam.

When I email an article to a friend (how old-fashioned is that?), then I’ve got to read and replicate the characters, numbers and letters in the little box to validate that I’m just one person sending an email.

Is it me…..or is the combination of characters, numbers and letters getting harder and harder to read?

I don’t know if it’s cutting down on spam but it’s certainly challenging me.

Is there another way?

Macy’s emailed me to participate in a customer survey after I bought socks.  Sorry, I am not that vested in that situation to go through a survey.

But, I did find the sales person helpful.

And I appreciated the coupon that you guys sent me.

So, I guess I have given feedback.

We’ve all seen it in corporate life – the proliferation of acronyms to describe life at the company quickly and efficiently.

But, exercise caution when they spill over into your customers’ world.

Witness a huge banner at the Post Office saying basically, “Come and use the APC to meet all your postal needs”.

The APC?

That’s the Automated Postal Center.

But why?  And why not something catchier.  Like PostalPartner or QuickPost or PostalBuddy or Postie…..

Call me!

Congrats on Arrow Electronics relocating its headquarters to Colorado!

A Fortune 500 firm is coming HERE!

So, I immediately checked LinkedIn to see who I knew.  It’s not as good as I would hope.

This is a solid target company for Bright Beacon work.  Help with strategic planning?  Help with product launches?  Perhaps a temporary exec position? Facilitating a problem solving workshop?  Serving as team leader on an important initiative?

But why don’t my LinkedIn people know more Arrow people?

Start linking!  You never know where it might take you.

….I get this door hanger from the tech who fixed our business line.

Who came and fixed the phone line??

Qwest is becoming CenturyLink but you’d never know it from this door hanger.

But let me also say, if this is a tech who doesn’t have any officially endorsed communications materials to use, I applaud that he or she did leave me an informative note on the reverse side.

And I can only hope that the approved materials are coming?

***

I also see some notations that suggest that this piece might be from 1996.  Again, I commend the tech for providing excellent information to me about our line.

But surely, someone got him or her branded materials since 1996?

Well, not exactly, but I am now able to download Fortune issues onto the iPad as a subscriber.  Just as of today.

Splendid – have already watched videos of several CEOs and some dynamite footage of the America’s Cup.  And I’m not even to the main articles.

Every magazine will go this way.  Some faster than others.

The Time empire is underway with this.

Am Unsubscribing to emails at an impressive rate.  However, my buddies at Zappos emailed me to remind me of shoes that I bought a year ago….and would I be interested in another pair of a similar style?  In fact, I did see a style I liked.

People, people, people….too many emails.  You are spamming me.  Stop it!

Instead of one leisure section in the Saturday Wall Street Journal, we now have two sections.

Is it possible to ask for the old leisure section to come back?

“Off Duty” strikes me as a number of outcasts from shelter and fashion magazines holding the Journal hostage.

Yes, the carnation article was lovely on the cover.  Who knew?

But, I think the article on “Containers of Joy” suggesting the decanting of various groceries into lovely jugs was really over the top.  People have time for that?

I’m sorry, house guests, but you will see milk in the refrigerator in the original vessels.

I know we have different customer segments with different technology profiles.  I know there are early adopters and laggards.  But this service from The Denver Post is a mystery to me.

I guess this isn't for the wireless generation?

If you have a cell phone, you have the time……and penetration is pretty high.  (Not to mention watches which are still worn by some boomers.)

Those with advanced phones like the Android or the iPhone often have a weather app downloaded.

And if you are home, you can easily glance at your favorite site on the web.

So, there is a decent segment looking to call and get the time and the weather?

What do you think?

Cruising around town on the bus this week.

Got the bus schedule mobile site to check times on the Droid.

You’re able to press a button, engage your GPS and find the nearest bus stop.

I did this standing under the bus stop sign and it replied no bus stop within a 1/4 mile.

Hmmm.

But I liked the functionality that tells you the time of the next three buses.