Thursday, August 30, 2007

A Preview of 'The Office'

Hey, I am ending this month with a bang! As things stand, we'll either set an all-new record for visitors at Mark's World or finish with a close No. 2. Thanks, everyone!

My gift to you: A special three-minute preview of the next season of "The Office" that premieres Sept. 27. Enjoy!



More later,


Mark

School Violence Hits Home

My brother Eric is a teacher at Pontiac High School back in Illinois. Tuesday started out as just another late-August school day, until the school was put under a "Code Red" lockdown and uniformed police officers entered his classroom to arrest one of his students for gun possession.

His fascinating account can be found on his blog here:

A Day In The Life

A very scary situation, but it sounds like Eric handled it well and we're all proud that a parent singled him out on the online blog of the local newspaper, The Bloomington Pantagraph, for his calm, professional manner. Eric did a great job for his kids and the school and everyone is glad that no one was hurt.

And kudos to the kid who alerted the proper authorities. Hes a hero, too.

More later,


Mark

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Very Creepy Robotic Elvis (I MUST Have IT!)

This wild product came out the week of our 10th wedding anniversary which coincided with the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death: the WowWee Elvis Talking Robot

You can buy one here:

Elvis

Or merely be amazed – and/or creeped out – by the product video:



More later,

Mark

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Decline — Complete With Snazzy Graphics

I stumbled across an interesting Web site Monday, the "Silicon Alley Insider," and this story, "Death By Month: Tracking the Newspaper Industry's Decline."

You can stumble into it, too, by going here:

Tracking the Newspaper Industry's Decline

Mull this sobering excerpt:

"Despite 27 percent year-over-year newspaper online revenue growth in July — as compared with shrinking print revenue — online still only accounts for 7 percent of the total. (For context, the total monthly online revenue for the entire public newspaper industry amounts to approximately 15 percent of Google's monthly U.S. revenue).  Put differently, the newspaper industry lost $83 million of print advertising revenue year-over-year in July — and gained only $23 million of online ad revenue.  Online won't save this industry with numbers like that.

Now, the site makes a distinction: It is only analyzing publicly held companies like The New York Times (NYT), Dow Jones (DJ), Lee Enterprises (LEE), The McClatchy Company (MNI), Gannett (GCI) and Tribune (TBC). Still, the analysis is staggering.

My 2 cents: The daily newspaper industry has to quit believing its own hype on Internet success both in fairness to its investors and to more accurately weigh its successes and failures.

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Even those employed at privately held companies need to ensure a fair return for their owners and as the year's third quarter rolls into its final month, there must be renewed pressure for a new transparency in reports. One revealing sentiment in the Silicon Alley Insider from Monday: "Every day we read about how amazingly fast newspaper web sites are growing, how newspaper reporters are now blogging like crazy, how newspaper online revenue is soaring, etc. And all of this is true. The trouble is — it's barely making a difference."

It is as if some in the daily newspaper industry believe that any random, manic action can somehow supplant a well-conceived plan based on audience feedback and intuitive goals. Still others are blindly striking down paths, often fueled only by their own desires (which is why you have a lot of newspaper Web sites seemingly aimed at appealing to white guys in their 40's or 50's).

Then there is the most insidious mistaken notion of all: The rampant naivete that prevents daily newspaper leadership from comprehending that a given newspaper Web site is little more than one of many destinations for many different online demographic communities, not the sole destination, let alone a starting point.

Why? Because thats how these Web sites were designed. Why? Because the daily newspaper industry is following the path of others in the daily newspaper industry. Why? Because the daily newspaper industry is convinced that it can heal itself.

As revenue and profits decline, one is left to ponder: Will the daily newspaper industry be allowed to cannibalize itself and, by extension, its shareholders? Or, will a different path emerge?

More later,

Mark

Friday, August 24, 2007

The Weather Is Better Here

Has it been a week already since we stayed at the Crown Plaza on the ocean?

Well, the weather almost everywhere seems to be ugly, except for here! Our thoughts go out to everyone, especially our friends and family back in Illinois. Ironically, it is supposed to be hurricane season here and everyone is supposed to be worried about us!

Anyway, what better time to share some shots taken from the hotel we stayed last Saturday after two fun-filled days in Kissimmee as we celebrated our 10th anniversary.

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Our cabana was in the row closest to the ocean, at the right. It was a glorious day. We got lots of sun after lunch on the deck.

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We had this wonderful wrap-around balcony outside of our room. Here is the view looking south at the beautiful beach. It looks like a postcard!

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Our room wasn't too shabby, either. As a Priority Club platinum members, we snagged a nice upgrade. All in all, it was a good excuse to hang out at the beach in style!

I've got to say that we enjoyed great rooms at two hotels. We spent the actual anniversary Thursday night and, then, Friday night at the Comfort Suites Maingate East in Kissimmee. We have actually spent the last four or five anniversaries there, dating back to the days when we would fly in to Florida each August from Illinois to enjoy the family timeshare. Now, the manager automatically upgrades us to a great suite complete with a living room with Barcalounger and a flat-screen TV.

Yes, I know: I am a hopeless romantic...

More later,


Mark

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Ideas on Tomorrow — Today!

As I have repeatedly stated, the future of online content producers — like daily newspapers — is only going to get more complicated because of people like me and you.

We want information the way we want it. The old days of some editor some place deciding which story is the "lead" story or whether a story should be on Page 1 are over, at least on the Internet.

Customization is key. We have the tools to make our own decisions. You push. We pull. In the end, we win. Either you embrace this reality and help us, or you'll lose.

As additional evidence of this reality, Steve Rubel — a maketing strategist, Advertising Age columinist and blogger — has penned two pieces of must-read items this week. Rubel is one of those emerging media gurus who seems to have a handle on what's next. Check out:

Three Strategies for Thriving on the Decentralized Web

In the Cut and Paste Era, Traffic Happens Elsewhere

More later,


Mark

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Best. Flanders. Ever.

Turns out, when I missed The Simpsons' 400th episode last May, I missed one of Ned Flanders all time best rants against the media!

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After newsman Kent Brockman accidently uttered some naughty language on the air, Ned is seen reviewing tapes in order to exhort fellow "online Christian soldiers" to seek a swift rebuke. Then his kids enter the room.

Rod: Daddy, what are you doing?
Ned Flanders: Imploring people I never met to pressure government with better things to do to punish a man who meant no harm for something nobody even saw, that's what I'm doing!
Todd: Daddy, I think we need a new mommy.
Ned: One problem at a time!

Mmmmmmmmm.... That was some good parody!

More later,


Mark

More Ominous News About The News

Here's an ominous headline for the daily newspaper industry I discovered linked to DrudgeReport.com the other day:

Internet use could kill off local newspapers, study finds

Click above to read the story, which says in part: "News audiences are ditching television and newspapers and using the Internet as their main source of information, in a trend that could eventually see the demise of local papers, according to a new study Wednesday."

The actual study is here:

Creative Destruction: An Exploratory Look at News on the Internet

Here's an ominous quote from the study:

"The problem of newspapers is compounded by the fact that they cannot succeed simply by replacing their hard-copy readers with online readers. On a person-by-person basis, the sale of hard-copy newspapers is vastly more profitable than drawing people to the paper’s website. It is estimated that a newspaper needs to attract two or three dozen online readers to make up for—in terms of advertising revenue—the loss of a single hard-copy reader."

Tough times, indeed. Moreover, the study underscores a key point: Newspapers are powerless to stop how audiences want to access news or even advertisers on the Internet. Aggregation sites like Topix.Net and Digg.Com allow Internet users to decide WHAT news they want to access first. Sites like Google.Com and even Amazon.Com allow shoppers to search as broadly or as narrowly as they decide for whatever they want to purchase.

I go back to my rant from May:

"Allow me to choose the news that I think is most important so that it greets me, first. Let me download a zoned pod cast. Give me a blog that allows me to network with my local friends, neighbors and relatives. Allow me to post pictures of what I think is news. Partner so that when big news happens, I get more than feeds from AP stuck on the Web. E-mail me alerts about news that I desire most. Allow me to micro-connect to my neighbors and still follow my college team and double-check my portfolio and make lunch plans.

"I might read the paper. I might choose the 'Net. I might watch a pod cast (I have to take a train into the city today, so my commute is extra long). I might update my blog. I might post pictures of my kid’s school play from last night. I might take the sports section into the bathroom. I might print a coupon. I might tear one out of the paper. I might want the news delivered to my phone.

"The deal is – and this is the important part – that I decide. Me. Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." Give me the power to choose and to do so in a seamless way that makes it all seem like it was my idea in the first place.

"You wanna stay in business AND make friends? Embrace intuitive.

"Yes, deepen advertisement factors. Create innovative revenue models to track three primary tiers: Branding impressions, click-throughs and actual purchases. Embrace search marketing and create a virtual directory tailored for your market with partner links to beyond."

Now, my daily newspaper colleagues will say: "Thats all well and good, weekly boy, but that's a lot harder to do than it is for you to type up and publish on your blog that is so keen, we are jealous."

Au contraire, mon ami. First, I am not suggesting you reinvent the wheel. I am suggesting, in fact, that you STOP trying to reinvent the wheel. Look at how My.Yahoo.Com allows customization. Watch how Digg.Com does the same. Witness the power of Google.Com and Amazon.Com.

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Don't waste your Web developers' time creating dinosaurs that will be obsolete before unveiled. Look to successful models that have already engaged vast audiences and are influencing how the Internet is used.

In recent months, daily newspaper after daily newspaper has been working hard to - get this! - put their print advertisements on the Internet. Some are in-house projects (wasting Web developers' time) and others are using various "services" created for this process. The resulting ads are not searchable, by and large. They do not link to that advertiser's Web site in many cases. They are just clunky and they serve no real purpose whatsoever.

Here's a test: Go to your favorite daily newspaper Web site and perform a search for your favorite restaurant. Count the clicks you have to make. Now, go to Google.Com and do the same. If you work at a daily newspaper and you boast about your innovation, you should be ashamed.

Daily newspapers are indeed in peril. Are newspapers becoming obsolete or committing suicide? Right now, it appears to be the combo platter.

More later,


Mark

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

10 Magical Years

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At approximately 4 p.m. EST 10 short years ago today, Mary DePietro and Mark Sweetwood were wed amid friends, relatives and the magic of Disney.

Now, I had considered authoring a beautiful tribute to our love guaranteed to inspire all of you. However, Mary already knows how I feel: There's no one else in the world that I'd vacuum for. I mean that.

Anyway, given the technology of the day, I decided to spend a few minutes taking you back to that special, special day and share some rare images. I know how much everyone enjoys looking at someone else's wedding photos.

Here goes: Queue the slide show.


I got my name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

Photo No. 1
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I think the fine folks at Disney were a little afraid of what was going to transpire, judging by the sign.

Photo No. 2
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We stayed from Aug. 13-18, 1997 at the Grand Floridian, which was the epicenter of activities during the wedding week.

Photo No. 3
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The place was beautiful, as you can see.

Photo No. 4
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I'm not saying the wedding was expensive, but when you go there today you can see this sign.

Photo No. 5
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The actual wedding ceremony was held at the on-ground church facility, Disney's Wedding Pavilion.

Photo No. 6
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Apparently, not everyone was completely at ease with the idea of our union in front of Disney AND God.

Photo No. 7
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The thing everyone seems to agree about a Disney Wedding is that everything was done with class!

Photo No. 8
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Here's one of the original tickets from the actual wedding. We thought $54 was fair, considering it included a meal and one drink ticket. And, kids were free as long as they didn't eat.

Photo No. 8
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Plus, Elvis performed his first dinner show since Las Vegas in 1977, and that was included in the price. Don't believe me?

Photo No. 9
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It caused quite a stir.

Photo No. 10
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We also had a DJ with all of the cool tunes.

Photo No. 11
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After the reception, we drove off in this 1929 Cadillac. Later, I discovered something ominous...

Photo No. 12
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The 1929 Cadillac was featured prominently in the film "Of Human Bondage."

But enough about the last 10 years...

Of course, I'm just kidding. My actual best memory of that day 10 years ago was that lovely woman with the beautiful eyes and a gorgeous gown agreeing to spend the rest of her life with a guy like me. That officially made me the luckiest guy in the world.

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Happy Anniversary, honey!

More later (after a long weekend!)


Mark

Monday, August 13, 2007

Look Who's 'On Notice!'

Hmmm...

Stephen Colbert's latest "On Notice" board looks like it could have been written by me! Check it out:

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Meanwhile, tune in Thursday for "The Mark & Mary 10th Anniversary Wedding Spectacular: A Very Special Look Back."

More later,


Mark

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Trout Catches Me

Another great essay on the future of newspapers is available, again, on Forbes.com.

The author, Jack Trout, is also the author of of one of my favorite books, "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" and he's president and marketing consultant at Trout & Partners.

One of Jack's points:

"...newspapers have to talk more about their reporting staff – how many they have all around the world and their credentials. They have to point out that accuracy takes money, hard work and lots of talent."
Check it out here:

Whither Newspapers?

More later,

Mark

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Jon Stewart Goes Local

Our embattled state Rep. Bob Allen – arrested in July after alegedly offering an undercover police officer $20 AND oral sex in a park restroom – has been featured in recent days on CNN and even Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World."

Last night, Jon Stewart and team skewered him on "The Daily Show."

Oh my.

Check it out:



More later,


Mark

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Crazy Like a Bugeja

Just the other day I posted criticism of decorum at unmoderated newspaper Web sites. On Tuesday, Editor & Publisher posted a terrific column by Michael Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University, entitled "The Fundamental Truths of Our Business."

Michael makes a lot of great points, including:

"Interactivity must be transparent to be believed. Apart from the rare whistle-blower, anonymity only provides cover to perpetuate ill intent. That is why we have attracted too many readers with lifestyle traits listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," he writes. "Worse, we designed Web pages that blurred lines between news and commentary. Now many readers do not distinguish between the two, which explains why online journalism often seems off-putting to the type of user we had hoped to attract: ones with a social conscience."

Michael touches all the bases from beat structure to story content to style. If you are interested in what is going down these days at daily newspapers, this is a must read! Check it out:

The Fundamental Truths of Our Business

More later,


Mark

Monday, August 06, 2007

Important Memo For One Frequent Visitor

Dear Masked IP User Who Generally Visits Mark's World A Couple of Times Per Day:

Your IP as it arrives here usually starts with 76.238. It would appear you have set your account to visit us every time there is a new post. That's great!

While I cannot tell exactly who you are, yet, I do know you are running Microsoft WinXP, browse on Internet Explorer 6.0 optimized with Mozilla 4.0 and Javascript 1.3 and you might have a small monitor set for 1024-by-768.

What's up with that? Get a real monitor!

The reason for this memo: You also have a spyware virus. You are infected with FunWebProducts. Read about it here:

No Fun With FunWebProducts

It has been around for a few years and, luckily, it shows up on servers so that kindly webmasters like we employ here at Mark's World can warn you. Some quick advice (other than drop the PC for a real computer): Beware of such sites like iWon.Com.

To verify who you are, you last visited Mark's World at 11:01:24 p.m. EST (10:01:24 p.m. CST) Monday night.

Anyway, I thought you should know. No need to thank me. Not everyone can be a Web expert.

More later,


Mark

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Mr. 8,000 Reigns!

Here he is: Mr. 8,000!

"Thought you might like to see the great stein I got for being Mr. 8,000 (but as you know i'm really Mr. No. 1)," my Dad writes.

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Yes, he's the No. 1 Dad and I know this because I'm the No. 1 son, in birth order, anyway... As the reining Mr. 8,000 (for being the 8,000th visitor to Mark's World), he's justifiably proud of the coveted Mark's World stein which arrived this week. And you gotta love the picture: In front of his computer with Mark's World on in the background and attired In his Bears gear...

"Are you ready for some football?" he writes. "It will start in the next couple of days and after the preseason we will get down to some great football. I wish the Bears luck this year and hope that Rex can calm down and stay healthy."

From your fingers to God's, er, eyes! And if God reads blogs, I say let it be this one...

Plus, if you click on Mr. 8.000's picture, it will take you over to our new Super Bowl-bound Bears Web site!

Congrats Dad! And long may you reign as Mr. 8,000 and otherwise!

More later,


Mark

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Post No. 200: In Defense of Film Critics

One of the most revealing essays about the muddled minds at the helm of daily newspapers these days can be found in the latest edition of American Journalism Review. You can read it here: 
 
The End of The Affair
 
The article documents the growing trend of eliminating film critics at newspapers. Faced with plunging advertising revenue and audiences, masters of printing mechanisms across the nation are eliminating all sorts of local voices: Columnists, film reviewers, auto critics, editorial cartoonists, etc. Film critics seem to be at the top of the list. The rationale? According to the article: 
 
"We've made a strategic decision that our future rests in providing readers unique local stories'" and other local content, Bert Roughton, the (Atlanta Journal Constitution)'s managing editor for print, wrote in an e-mail interview.'To be consistent with this strategy, we've decided not to use our staff to produce reviews that we can get from other sources.'" 
 
When you get editors bleating about "strategic interest" instead of fighting for a well-rounded voice, well, you've captured MY attention. Daily newspaper editors, under the thumb of masters of printing mechanisms, are more afraid of losing their jobs than they are of providing a great product. So, they are allowing the guts of their newspapers – the heart – to be destroyed and replaced by boring, rehashed wire news from far away. Less editing! Same pay! Win-win! 
 
On the day I began to write this, Aug. 3, here's what the A section of the AJC contained, according to the newspaper's Web site. Watch that "strategic decision" at play: 
 
• WINNERS CAP CAREERS - Local feature about local athletes at Georgia Tech. 
• New mother was 'really, really lucky' - Bridge collapse story from wire. 
• Hard questions, fading hope: Searchers frustrated by risky conditions - Bridge collapse story from wire. 
• Plenty here in need of repairs, but state says none unsafe - Bridge collapse localization 
• Common chemical rouses concern - Wire story on BPA. 
• Safe site sought for talks on S. Korean hostages - Wire story on Afghanistan story. 
• Senate's vote boosts funding for kids' health - Bureau story. 
• Senators want Gonzales out - Wire story. 
• Panel gets little from Bush aide: Rove underling fails to shed light on prosecutors' firings - Wire story. 
• Baghdad taps run dry - Wire story. 
• Senate approval sends ethics bill to president - Wire story. 
• Bush: No small change: Spending plans' $22 billion gulf 'a lot of money' - Wire story. 
• Study: Moms quick to stop breast-feeding - wire story. 
• NATION IN BRIEF: Bush aides face questions - Collection of wire stories. 
• Court rules against insured Katrina victims - Wire story. 
• WORLD IN BRIEF: Serbs deny herd at risk - Collection of wire stories. 
• House votes to give troops guaranteed time at home - Wire story. 
• IRAQ DEVELOPMENTS - Collection of wire stories. 
• Silence, please! Atlanta gets its first Zen master - Local feature. 
 
Lead art was a massive picture from the Minnesota bridge collapse. The local zen master DID get a mug shot on A1. Now, to be fair, the AJC also has a local news, or "Metro," section. But it seems odd to me that a newspaper attempting to brand itself with "unique local" news would devote so much of its main section with dry rehashes of wire reports. 
 
I was trading e-mails the other day with Jeff Westhoff, the long-time Northwest Herald film critic relegated to freelancing when that paper eliminated his full-time role last year, and I pointed him to that article. I have always enjoyed Jeff both as a great newsroom character with a dry wit and as a reviewer (though he and I NEVER agree on animated movies). He wrote: 
 
"Naturally I agree with Philip Lopate and Douglas McLennan of ArtsJournal when they say that a film critic gives a newspaper a unique voice. Local coverage is not the same as local voice. News stories provide necessary information, but giving readers staff personalities they can identify with or fume at should also necessary for newspapers." 
 
Then he shared a great story that illustrates the connection readers can have with their local film critic. 
 
"As we know, newspaper editors are agonizing over ways to entice younger readers to pick up a paper or add a hit to the paper's Web site tally. In May I was invited to speak at a student journalists conference at McHenry County College. The organizer said I was by far the most popular choice and though my two sessions were in a large room, people had to be turned away both times." 
 
I wonder how many staffers at any newspaper would be able to claim the same drawing power? Maybe I should ask Bert Roughton at the AJC. 
 
There's even a more insidious concept being played out here. At the same time that long-time, full-salaried, local voices are being drummed out of the news pages, many newspapers are also rushing to recreate themselves on the Internet. I have previously documented these ham-handed efforts. 
 
As professional, credible, articulate voices are eliminated, many newspaper Web sites have opened their doors to unmoderated "comments" from readers. One of the most horrific examples of this is at the daily newspaper here in Brevard County, Florida Today. 
 
Florida Today 

While comments are a well-intentioned idea that is supposed to reflect the freedom of the Internet, here is what normally happens: About two dozen "regulars" who have nothing but time on their hands make rude comments on every story that is posted. They fight with each other, shout down others who try to add to the mix, make wild assertions over guilt and/or innocence that responsible journalists would never make and they dominate a newspaper Web site's voice. 
 
And that voice is ugly and disrespectful. 
 
Is that what we've come to embrace? Is that the model for the future? A good newspaper - and even its Web site - should reflect the values of the entire community it serves as well as the ideals to which it strives. 
 
There should be an effort at every newspaper that is staring into the abyss to understand the value of its total package: News, views, ads, functionality (which includes everything from customer service to circulation service to print quality). These should be seen as the four legs of a chair: The chair becomes weakened and more like to collapse every time you whittle away at a leg. Readers expect the newspaper to have many views; to have a local voice. They can already buy a generic newspaper; it's called USA Today. 
 
Jeff made this great point: 
 
"Everyone keeps saying newspapers are dying. I say that's only because they're commiting suicide. For example, the underlying mentality for getting rid of staff film critics cited in this article seems to be, 'So many film reviews are available on the Internet.' So these editors will surrender to the Internet that easily? They should be saying, 'Sure you can find hundreds of reviews for this movie on the Internet, but few will be as stylishly written or as thought-provoking as the one written by our critic. And our readers care about that.'" 
 
Actually, Jeff, giving a staff film reviewer his own space in the newspaper and an emerging role on the Internet with a blog that is simulcast and co-branded on MySpace.Com, FaceBook.Com and even Blogger.Com would seem to give a newspaper an advantage, especially if it truly sought those who intersect with those varied demographics. It would lay the groundwork for creating a true Internet community. 
 
I'll discuss that concept later. Thanks, Jeff, for sharing your great insight. 
 
More later, 
 

Mark 

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Blog Down!

Yes, Mark's World programmers have been busy in our blog-boratory whipping up a site dedicated to fans eagerly awaiting the start of what looks to be an exciting Chicago Bears 2007-08 season.

Either click Staley's head at left or go here:

SuperBowlBoundBears.Blogspot.com

Since we agree the name is cumbersome, why don't you just go ahead and go there and bookmark that sucker right now.

Our goal is to give Bears fans a fun site with all of their Bears information needs. Where ever you find yourself on the planet, feel free to pop in here from time to time for a quick update on your Chicago Bears. Here you'll find key feeds from across the professional football world plus my own - and your own - exclusive, unique commentary (and I pledge mine will seem either overly confident or whining, depending on the week).

Of course, your views are always welcomed and, even, expected. As the Bears Bear Down on their opponents, pipe up with your news, views, notes and even outrageous predictions.

As always, no Packers fans allowed...

More Later,


Mark
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WOW! July ended on an amazing note in terms of Mark's World visitors.

Thanks to you, we blew the roof off of our old visits and page views records. We finished with our eighth consecutive monthly hits increase, beating last month by 12 percent. In terms of page views, this was our all-time best month ever besting even the much-googled Bears Convention coverage in April.

Now, we're still talking in terms of hundreds and hundreds of hits, not millions like those mega-sites. Still, unique traffic is up five-fold since November 2006 and page views are up seven-fold in the same time-frame. Hence, I am very proud of what we are building together.

The good news is tempered with confusion from the folks who run our Sitemeter counter, however. We're working on it. Testy e-mails are being exchanged.

To celebrate this exciting milestone, later today we'll launch a "Super" fan site dedicated to those dedicated to a certain team once coached by a man named Ditka....

More later,


Mark
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