Maddow on Santorum on Weiner

I can appreciate MSNBC's Rachel Maddow when she articulates a subject and can call BS when it's due, but she loses me when she predicates an entire segment on a false premise.

Here she is telling us that Sen. Rick Santorum said Rep. Anthony Weiner should resign.


But that's not what the former PA Senator said -- if you can recognize the difference between saying what you would do and telling someone else what they should do. In fact, Mr. Santorum has been pretty explicit about the distinction -- and made it when he visited Des Moines Friday.

What's wrong with your video?

With so much video floating around, it's easy to be tempted to put some of your own out there. And a lot of business professionals have a pretty good reason to make video part of their marketing strategy. It can't be terribly complicated, right?

Somehow, $10,000 later, your videos aren't quite what you had invisioned. They sound terrible, the lighting isn't right and there's some jerking while panning and zooming.

Notice my first observation was bad sound. That seems to be the first thing we notice about bad video, which seems counter intuitive, but true. It's also the first thing the beginner shooter neglects. And unfortunately the fix often means a new camera or expensive audio recording gear (and an editing nightmare). The reason the audio isn't clear is because you're using the built-in microphone on the camcorder. So the camcorder becomes the mic, meaning for best results, you would have to hold the camera as if it were a mic. In that way, you capture the subject as the most prevelent source. But that makes for some extreme close-ups that would make even the most beautiful subject nervous.

The better solution is to start with a camcorder that has a microphone input. With that, you can choose a long wired mic or a wireless system for $20 to $200 (and up).

The next issue is lighting. The most common problem with poorly lit subjects is that the camcorder struggles with more light behind the object it's shooting than on the subject itself. For between $150 & $200 you can buy a professional softbox light that will give your star enough illumination to be clear and have nice color. Avoid shooting in front of windows indoors.

Finally, the jerky pans can be eliminated through creative technic and/or better stabilizing equipment. A handheld shooter should have a good grip on the camcorder, tuck in his or her elbows, find a shot and hold it as steady as possible. Operate with the zoom all the way out so you minimize the magnified motion. Try to reduce panning whenever possible. And the best answer here is to buy a professional tripod, like a Monfrotto, for $200 and up.

What you should walk away knowing about shooting good video is to create the ideal situation for your camacorder instead of settling on shooting in challenging situations. Given adequate sound, light and technique, even consumer camcorders can do a pretty amazing job.

With these tips, I can make a better video for $600 than others who have spent $10,000.

What's with my neighborhood?

Crime seems to love my neighborhood, especially police chases.  This is the second one that sped by my house in the past year, but the fourth that I know of to flee through my neighborhood.  There was also a wanted person being retrieved across the street and a murder six blocks away this month.

Giving up your passwords for a little gadgetiness

I came across a neat iPad app today that assembles aggregators' content into sets of print-style pages you can flip through, similar to a book reading app.  It's called Flipboard and it really cleans up some otherwise cluttery articles from their native homes.

Out of the box it comes with some preset feeds, including facebook, twitter and Google Reader modules, all setup and waiting for you to...login.  Yep, just supply usernames & passwords for your accounts and it'll take you for a spin around your social network.

But wait.  Where does that login information go?  On one hand, you have journalists telling you, "Never share your private information," and others extolling the virtue of this new whiz-bang newsreader.

That's a problem because this data mining operation, no matter how well trusted, could be compromised by hackers, same as credit card companies.  Recently dozens of institutions had egg on their faces when they were forced to reveal to their customers that the company to whom they supplied customer lists was hacked.

So, not only do you have to wonder if your account credentials at facebook or twitter or Google is well guarded, but all of the other trollers you give up your information to, like this whiz-bangy, gadgety thing called Flipboard.

For me, I like the app, but have pushed aside the pre-built social media modules that need my password to function properly.

Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore announces Presidential aspirations

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore visited Iowa today.

Known as "Ten Commandments Judge", Moore made the announcement on WHO Radio in Des Moines this morning.  During an interview with conservative talk show host Jan Mickelson, he said he's forming an exploratory committee for a possible presidential run.

Moore is perhaps best known for refusing to remove a monument bearing the Ten Commandments from the Alabama state courthouse.

Watch raw video from this morning's interview.

Pawlenty on coal

Former Minnesota Governor and possible GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty spoke with Iowa radio talkshow host Jan Mickelson on Friday, April 1. Here is the dialog.




Mickelson: A number of people emailed me this question. You mentioned clean coal. What the heck is that?

Pawlenty: Ha ha. In South Dakota, they were willing to put up a coal plant that had the best technology of today. We approved it because they needed to run the lines through Minnesota. And it was the best of coal technology as it exists today -- or back then, 2010. And within thirty days or so of us approving that project, the Obama administration put a hold on it. And the investors said we’re not going to have this much delay and this much problem. They fled and the project got killed. So clean coal, I think, can be defined as, we need to use coal, but we...if someone wants to come forward and invest in the best-of-class technology as it exists today and build a coal plant, I think that’s something we should be inclined to do.

Mickelson: Here in Iowa we pulled the plug on one just a few months ago.

Pawlenty: Well they’ve pulled the plug all over, Jan, but there is...

Mickelson: Same way with nukes. You can’t get a nuclear power facility started. Some people are thinking about it and pre-collecting some of the funds to build a modular nuclear power facility. Would you encourage that, if you had that opportunity, at least to ponder it?

Pawlenty: Well, you know, other countries do this. By modular, what I take you to mean is this: there are certain packages or pre-existing technologies that have already been approved in other places and they don’t have to be approved from scratch every time they come through the system.

Mickelson: And they’re smaller-scale.

Pawlenty: And they’re smaller-scale, and so they’re repeatable, scalable, and you can bring them through the process without having to reinvent the wheel every time. I think it’s a good idea.

Mickelson: But as you said earlier, we should let the market decide. If the market-only were involved in energy choices, would nuclear power be on the scale? Which do you think would be the most economic, top to bottom, if the marketplace-only...

Pawlenty: I think the answer to that, going forward in the near and intermediate term, is probably going to be natural gas. And it’s here. We can Americanize it. It burns cleaner than coal, obviously. It’s less controversial than nuclear and we’ve got a boatload of it.

Mickelson: We already have something of a delivery system.

Pawlenty: We already do. And by the way, some of these old coal plants, if people choose, and think it’s economically viable, they can be converted to natural gas. We did that in Minnesota to some of our old coal plants. It reduced mercury emissions, SO2/NOx emissions. And it was a successful conversion from what I call old coal to a cleaner, better, more available and frankly more affordable energy source.

Pawlenty in Iowa

Former Minnesota Governor and possible 2012 GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty was a guest on WHO Radio's Jan Mickelson Friday, April 1, 2011.

Digital ad: web metrics vs. impressions and click-through

Media companies like to monetize special areas of their websites by co-branding them with their advertisers.  It wouldn't be fair to hold these sponsorships to the same performance standards as one would expect with banner campaigns.  Nevertheless, advertisers come along after the campaign and demand metrics.

Web page metrics are not calculated in the same way an ad server would measure impressions and click-through rates for banner campaign.

The best way to manage this post-campaign misery is to spell out the standards up front, in writing and in conversation.  It must be made clear, provably, that simple web page sponsor graphics aren't for everyone, that impression and click-through data cannot be tracked or reported.  If the advertiser recognizes the value of associating a particular web page and do not require performance metrics, only then should they consider placing an order for these areas.

Knowing and fully understanding this, g ahead and ask for pageviews for a given page.  If it's not possible for the target web server to obtain referrer data, then you'll have to guess what a possible click-through range might be.

Where do you start when it comes to estimating click-through rates?  A Michigan State University study reported the national average click-through rate is between .2% and .3%, but are largely affected by the quality and relevance of the ad, value of the offer or promise and other subjective factors.

iMedia's Andrew Stern gives great advice to AEs and advertisers in his article 8 ways to improve your click-through rate.

Off the fence

Those that follow politics know that former Gov. Mitt Romney was well established as a frontrunner in the 2008 Presidential race leading the Iowa State Fair in August of 2007, by which time Law & Order star Sen. Fred Thompson had not yet announced his candidacy.

Heading into March Madness 2010, nearly all of the 2012 republican field is in place, although none are frontrunners.

The historic timeline will be drilled by talking heads over the next six months and the twelve months that follow will see regulars' eyes glaze over in rhetorical overload.  But the Ames Straw Poll is still a half year out.

So who will the players be?  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee can't balance his TV & radio gigs with a real candidacy, so he's waiting in the wings.  Rick Santorum made his way here some months ago, but was skiddish about undertaking the role.  Sarah Palin is on the lips of many teapartiers.  Michele Bachman, Tim Pawlenty and others have streaked through the Caucus state recently.  But none have impressed the party yet.

So who's it gonna be?  Romney will fair no better this round than last.  Palin couldn't pass gas here, much less the muster it would take to win Iowa.  With Huckabee aligned with Bob Vander Plaats, he appears more concerned about stopping same-gender marriage than child rape.  It appears no one, at this point, is willing to boldly pursue the Presidency.

Streaming radio pitted against Pandora

As the country's most formidable broadcaster of online streaming radio -- that is the company that actually provides the network bandwidth to the stations -- releases its audience metrics, some are comparing radio to a ubiquitous music provider, a measuring stick that doesn't get to America's economic momentum.

The leading provider of local information in the US, the one that gets consumers on their daily commutes,  is radio.  There is no more relevant ad placement for local business, the very engine that pushes the US economy.  Yet analysts are suggesting that the national brand may play a more critical role for advertisers.

While that may have the potential for significant impact for national brands like Pepsi and McDonald's, Big Tomato Pizza, a Des Moines brand, would find itself drowning in a sea of clutter if it turned to Pandora for its recognition.

They say all politics is local.  While the subjects of politics and local business differ substantially, the reason is identical.  The only thing that matters to local brands is local clientele.  And the best way to reach locals is through local media.  And nobody does local media better than Clear Channel Radio and its bevy of local streamers.

In our city, the number one source of online information is the local CBS affiliate.  By chance, it happened to step up to the plate in sheer manpower from the outset of the Internet boom of the 90s.  They had the staff and resources to assign the task of producing local content.  As marketers, we recognize that the first cows to the trough are the ones best fed.  But the truth in American media is that TV is the second biggest loser when it comes to lost audiences -- right behind all things print.

The most valuable player to local businesses is radio, whether the digital product or its terrestrial counterpart.  And that's why Clear Channel is still the biggest competitor to TV in local markets.

So you may break down the comparison between Pandora and everyone else in American media all you like; you can't hide the relevance of local online streaming media powerhouse Clear Channel Radio.

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

While the budget deficit is slowly being reduced, the country's debt continues to climb out of control.

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time