The below article gives context for why we ALWAYS sell the next generation short. I’ve included one of my favorite quotes from the article that I would call a MUST-READ for perspective.

Simply put, many parents and cultural critics have passed through their “adventure window.” The willingness of humans to try new things and experiment with new forms of culture—our “adventure window”—fades rapidly after certain key points in life, as we gradually settle in our ways. The English satirist Douglas Adams put it this way: “Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

Consequently, once their adventure window slams shut, many parents, policymakers, or social pundits convince themselves that “the good ‘ol days” are behind us and the current good-for-nothing generation and their new-fangled gadgets and culture are steering us straight into the moral abyss.

Why Do We Always Sell the Next Generation Short? – Forbes.

iCal events won’t delete with Google sync. They will keep coming back until further notice. Google has set this up intentionally and they offer some insight below. 

This is an intention, but temporary change that was introduced after Apple’s Mac OS X 10.7 and iOS5 launches. The deletion block was put in place to eliminate any risk that a user events could be deleted when syncing between Google Calendar and the Apple products.

There is currently the following information in our ‘Known Issues’ page:

“Events deleted in iCal on Mac OS are not deleted in Google Calendar until further notice.

Setting up iCloud sync caused events to be unexpectedly wiped from Google Calendar for some of our users who were syncing information between iCal and Google Calendar. This unwanted deletion took place between 10/11 and 10/14. We have since restored deleted events and invitees. Please note we’re only able to restore invitees who are Google Calendar users; guests who are non-Google Calendar users (i.e. Outlook users, Yahoo! users) could not be recovered and will need to be re-invited manually.

In response to the above issue, we have stopped deleting events if the delete request comes from iCal. Until further notice, deleting any event in iCal on Mac OS will not remove this event from Google Calendar, but all other requests like creating events or changing existing events will be synced properly.

As a workaround, we suggest you remove events in the web version of Google Calendar (calendar.google.com) – all changes made in the web calendar are properly synced to your iCal.”

This block will be deleted at some point in the near future, with the date being communicated to users nearer the time.

via ICAL EVENTS WON’T DELETE WITH GOOGLE SYNC. EVENTS KEEP COMING BACK. WHY ??? FIX ??? – Calendar Help.

Take the story of 12 year old Jessie Rees. Her hope was to have 50,000 people ‘LIKE’ her Facebook page before the disease that was overtaking her young body won. Unfortunately, Thursday morning, she lost the fight, but her hope lives on. As of Thursday night, she far surpassed her hopes and she now has well over 57,000 fans. While you may think this effort is futile, one look at her Facebook page and you can see the hope that his “mob” of people is having across the world, but most importantly to her family.

Today, hope gets drowned out, but when a mob of people come together, it cannot be ignored. It’s a force to be reckoned with.

I applaud Shaun and the vision he has for giving hope across the world. Not because he’s found success, but because he’s offering something that so many people have given up on long ago: hope.

Below is an article that details the vision and mission of HopeMob as posted on the HalogenTV.com site. It also explains Jessie’s story.

I hope you’re inspired to be the change you want to see in the world.

Social good entrepreneur Shaun King launched a new social giving site that unites strangers for one cause. Much like a flash mob of hope, HopeMob pulls together people’s kindness to help one person.

The HopeMob campaign is currently raising funds through Kickstarter before its March 2012 launch.

“HopeMob is going to change people’s lives,” King said in his Kickstarter campaign video. “People are falling through the cracks of the government. They’re falling through the cracks of social services. You and I are going to find them and tell their story. We’re going to mob them with hope.”

Here’s how it works:

Users can register for HopeMob by creating a username and password. After registering, HopeMob will give each person 50 story points. Using story points, participants can help boost a story up in HopeMob’s “cause queue” until it becomes its one and only featured story with an international audience. The queue will be filled with real-life stories — families who’ve lost their houses, family with special needs children — anyone who’s needs a helping hand.

Jessie Rees was one of those recipients of hope. At 12 years old, she lost her battle with brain cancer on Jan. 5. Thanks to the countless HopeMob volunteers and backers, they spent weeks to make many of her wishes come true. One of Jessie’s wish was to have 50,000 Facebook fans. Together, they made that goal happen, and many others.

via Shaun King Launches HopeMob | Halogen TV.

According to eMarketer.com, on average, 38% of all types of bloggers (hobbyists, professional part-time, professional full-time, corporate, entrepreneur) blog about brands that they love or hate. Even more influential is that 68% of bloggers are influenced by what they read on other blogs.

Did you hear that?

68% of bloggers are influenced by the 38% of blog posts written about YOUR brand, service or product!

The obvious next question is, are you aware of what’s being said about you and your brand online?

Here’s a graphic that details more about blogs, bloggers and brand influences:

The articles makes  a compelling case that bloggers should not be ignored. In fact, they should be courted. I think this offers a paradigm shift that is, and will be slow to adopt in today’s commerce.

As bloggers continue to grow in influence, their coverage of brands and their interactions with brands’ products, services and employees will be of greater interest to companies. Brand representatives who connect with bloggers must be sure to work with these writers to keep the relationships thriving.

via How Blogs Influence Purchases and Recommendations – eMarketer.

What do you think?

By the way, if you’re not a regular reader of Seth, do yourself a favor and subscribe to his blog here and now. I often refer to it as the devotional for marketers. Really, he offers practical, but challenging thoughts, on how we’ve fallen in the traps of doing “normal” things day-to-day.

Read it and consider answering this one question in the comments:

If you were responsible for every meeting, how would you change meetings at your company?

If you work directly with me, I’d love your thoughts in the comments section too (yes, publicly).

Firemen, donuts and meetings

When a building is burning down, fireman coordinate their actions, make decisions and save lives.

They do this without Aeron desk chairs or Dunkin Donuts. They do it without subcommittees, McKinsey studies or input from the boss in another city.

To quote Al Pittampalli, “why bother going to a meeting if you’re not prepared to change your mind?” To which I’d add, “Don’t bother having a meeting if you’re not there to change or make a decision right now.”

Somewhere along the way, meetings changed into events where we wait for someone to take responsibility (while everyone else dives for cover).

How would you do it differently if the building were burning down? Because it is.

via Seth’s Blog: Firemen, donuts and meetings.

Now my time is done and there are no more chances for me.  The next time someone cancels a session – my wish is that you forward this letter to them.  Time is fragile, it is gone before you know you had it.  If you charged $200 for one print it wouldn’t be enough for what it is actually worth.  I cringe to think that my priorities were a manicure over a memory to pass onto my babies and husband.

via A letter on my door step. portraits are more than paper. | Fototails Photography.

Many of you know that I serve as the executive director of Help-Portrait, an international photography movement. To-date, we’ve been able to track the giving of over 175,000 portraits to just as many people.

To think that we’ve participated in that many peoples lives is simply, unbelivable. Reading the story above, makes it all the more worth the time, effort and sacrifices my family and I make to volunteer for this organization.

If you’re a photographer, please consider using your time and talent to give back. It’s easy and it means so much to people. Simply go to www.help-portrait.com for more information.

• January – Creating Your Personal Life Plan by Michael Hyatt
• February – Character: Who You Are When No One’s Looking by Bill Hybels
• March – Priorities: Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley
• April – Health: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
• May – Marriage: Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
• June – Temptation: Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) by Joshua Harris
• July – Fatherhood: Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
• August – Talents: StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath
• September – Leadership: The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership by James C. Hunter
• October – Community: Samson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin
• November – Influence: Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
• December – Finishing Strong: Going the Distance for Your Family by Steve Farrar

I am contacted almost weekly by people who want to be mentored. If there’s one thing I have learned, it’s that young men and women are desperate for mentors who will build into their lives.

via Inside My Mentoring Group by Michael Hyatt.

I do wish that more men and women would value their own life experiences enough to share what they know and have learned with younger people. Maybe, I should consider the doing the same for those younger than me!?!

Do you have a mentor?

A new year means 365 new chances to speculate on what Apple might have up its sleeve. And two days into 2012, we already have a potential Apple event to talk about.

via Report: Apple planning media-related event later this month | Macworld.

If you’ve known me long, you know that I have a great affinity for the state of Oregon, and it’s not just the football. From the mountains to oceans, skiing to rock climbing, Tillamook cheese to Stumptown Coffee, let’s not forget maple bars, and to family and lifelong friends, the state is full of things that bring fond memories of my childhood and subsequent visits. So, it is of great pride that I too, claim this victory alongside my fellow Oregonians.

As for the Oregon State Beaver fans—uh-hum, my sister—sorry. Maybe next year.

Let’s hear it for the boys!

PS. Did you see those killer helmets? Check it out

 

Happy New Year from Halogen TV