Saylorville: A ticking time bomb?

I'm not a hydrologist or meteorologist -- or even and engineer, but I can read a chart and I see an unusual and scary trend.

The river basins that feed Midwest rivers received up to 400% of normal precipitation throughout the fall and winter months. Couple that with below average temperatures, particularly in February, the stored water potential remained stagnate until the spring melt, and that contributed to record water levels in the Rock Island District. Water at the Saylorville Reservoir has elevated to levels far above those recorded in 2008 for the same period, and heading into the spring shower season.

In 2008, Saylorville had reached 840 ft by mid-March and had begun to fall. This year, we see reservoir levels 25-30 feet higher at mid-month and continue rising throughout the month, with an expected volume to reach capacity -- leaving no room for additional precipitation in the watershed without overwhelming flood control systems.

In both 2008 and 1993, Sayorville was a lot lower than it is today, yet we still saw record flooding in those years. In fact, the lake hasn't been anywhere near this high in the 33 years of historical data on the corps' website. Most years right where they like it, at about 836 ft.

That has to have local officials at least a little nervous. But I haven't heard anyone ask the question that begs asking: what will Saylorville look like in June if it reaches capacity by the end of March?

Socially speaking

I just read part of an article from yet another social media expert.

That's right, part. Why? Because I could spend all my time reading peoples' expert advice, so filter by disregarding those that come with an invitation for a free seminar. That may seem arbitrary, but I tend not to trust advice from people who are pretending to give it free while actively tossing me a sales pitch.

So as soon as I spotted the pitch, I quit reading and started to write a few thoughts of my own.

The article actually touched on a sensitivity of mine. Social media in the corporate world. I am turned off by blatant advertising disguised as conversation in social media. I tell people to either engage in open, honest discussions about issues you're passionate about or, if you have something to sell, just buy a targeted ad on facebook or promote a video on YouTube or get some adsense.

Lately I'm seeing a lot of local companies -- or principles of same -- following or friending media accounts or fan pages only as a way to publicize paid events or to sell products. For a small business whose reputation is critical, that's a bad idea. You end up alienating the very base you need to impress most.

I imagine these people are accepting free advice from veiled snake oil salesmen. The advice? Follow, link with and friend as many high profile entities as possible and get your message out there often -- and damn the consequences. To me, those people give off the same aroma as the pyramid schemers of the seventies.

My best advice is to get out there and socialize like you would normally, in a way that suits your own personality. Be authentic because your prospects can smell phonies. And when it comes time to make a pitch, don't disguise it as a "conversation"; buy the ad unit.

If you value your wares, then respect people enough to be able to judge them on merit in the light of day.

Slicing up billboard audiences

We've been seeing new digital billboards popping up along the city's busy thoroughfares and they're getting lots of attention from local and industry media.

The safety concerns are obvious: as electronic billboards become more attractive, they become more distractive to commuters. That's common sense. The very idea of targeting the commuting public flies in the face of all traffic safety initiatives. And although some state laws are prohibiting animated, moving or flashing campaigns, the wholesale concept of taking drivers' attention from the task at hand is a dangerous one.

On the other hand, the outdoor advertising market has been hit hard by the economic slowdown, so the outdoor industry is struggling to innovate. And in the digiboard, they've found some new life.

But in claiming "more advertising opportunities", they're making a very thin slice of the audience even thinner. Now instead of knowing your image will appear on a busy highway 24/7, you now only get a few seconds.

The advertising market is clearly heading for a state that's so fragmented that the only survivors will be large corporations who are in a position to use duplication and automation technologies to multiply thin local profit margins into usable revenue on regional and global scales. In that vein, there's no economic benefit to small businesses, nor the local community at large.

The fact is that what's bad about billboards is even worse when you digitize them.