SteveandAmySly.com

SteveandAmySly.com http://forums.tannerworld.com The thoughts and adventures of Steve and Amy Tanner en Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:46:34 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.steveandamysly.com/http://steveandamysly.tannerworld.com/images/feedimage_steveandamysly1.gifVisit SteveandAmySly.com steveandamyslyhttp://feedburner.google.comThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use. How stupid is the Forest Preserve District of Cook County? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/6WopenmuxU8/showthread.php Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:35:55 GMT Taking aim at county government is a pretty easy thing, especially here in the Chicagoland area, where Cook County is run on the "friends and family plan" by Todd Stroger & Co.

However, I wanted to talk about a subset of county government, specifically the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. Being a lifelong Chicago resident, I've spent a lot of time in our forest preserves, from family picnics, church events, corporate catering events that I've worked in college, and quite a bit of time on the bike trails, specifically the North Branch.

Ad for Forest Preserve District
Source: soclose2you.org
(Click to enlarge)

Amy and I often will bike the entire length of the trail up to the Chicago Botanic Garden, where one of the benefits of cycling is free parking -- if you drive, the parking fees are now up to $20 per car. We hold a lot of special memories at the Gardens, including our engagement. It's been great to see the place grow and develop over the years.

Over the weekend, we found ourselves at the Gardens to catch some of the live cooking demonstrations in the Fruit & Vegetable Garden. While there, I was flipping through the summer edition of the "Map and Garden Guide" that you can pick up free when you enter. A two-page advertisement from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County is the first thing you'll see.

I've scanned the images below:

Scan of Botanic Gardens Map
(Click to enlarge)

What caught my eye was the poor copywriting and odd choice of words in the headline: "The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is proud to include the Chicago Botanic Garden as part of its precious and unique holdings."

That last word is what tripped me up. It's written like the Gardens are part of a stock portfolio, not a great destination. This misstep in phraseology mirrors what I see as a general lack of solid marketing direction for the Forest Preserves; they seem to be all over the map lately with poorly executed promotional materials.

For example, take a look at the second page of booklet scan. You'll see the website address soclose2you.org. This address was grabbed in 2007, and used in advertising on buses and billboards for the past two years. This caught my eye because I work with the 'net on a daily basis as the Web Director for a non-profit.

Ad for Forest Preserve District
Source: soclose2you.org
(Click to enlarge)

First off, it makes no sense at all. There's no identity in the address and it's rather hard to remember. Secondly, the way it's spelled just smacks of "well, we really wanted this other website address, but it was unavailable, so we thought we'd be clever by using the number 2 and settling on the .org."

Ad for Forest Preserve District
Source: soclose2you.org
(Click to enlarge)

Finally, I don't really see the value of owning this website address. The official website for the District is fpdcc.com. Not exactly beautiful, but at least it makes sense. With the right amount of search engine optimization, it could work quite well on many fronts for various purposes.

Which returns me to the wasteland that is soclose2you.org. You'd think that with a unique address, something special was on the other end? Nope.

Screenshot of soclose2you.org
(Click to enlarge)

The domain pulls you to a single page that rotates 4 images (different each time you visit). These images are from the same batch of ads that have been showing on buses and billboards around the city. They're pretty easy to recognize given that they look like the unholy marriage of stock art and default fonts out of Microsoft Word.

Ad for Forest Preserve District
Source: soclose2you.org
(Click to enlarge)

From this single page site, you are given a short paragraph about the forest preserves... and then links to fpdcc.com or fpdccvolunteers.org -- and that's it. So what was the point of this whole special domain name and ad campaign to promote it? Even looking at the code for the site, you'll note there's no special tracking codes or analytics data being captured, so the only real measurement that the web folks would have would be referrals to the main site from this single page (which is not going to give you robust data something like the free Google Analytics would provide). I'm sort of wondering just what kind of metrics the Forest Preserve District folks are using to measure the success of this campaign, because it seems poorly thought out.

Most Forest Preserve signage shows fpdcc.com address
Source: Photo by Steve Tanner

There's also the element of confusion given that most official Forest Preserve signage has the fpdcc.com address plastered on it. In most cases, this address appears via stickers that were hastily added years ago to cover up the name of John H. Stroger, Jr. when an outcry was made over having the County Board President's name on new signs that had to be replaced every time there was a regime change. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time for stupid sign planning. When many of the new bike trail signs were installed a few years ago, some included dates that would show the age of the signs (knowing full well that keeping these up-to-date is the last thing the Forest Preserve District will be doing), while also posting rules that have been pretty much unenforced (i.e. wearing bike helmets on the trails).

Now, I don't know who is running the marketing for the Forest Preserve District, nor if it's budget is of decent size or not, but given the output of what is being created, I think our tax dollars could do a lot better. There just doesn't seem to be much logic at all.

Then again, should I be surprised? ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22316 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22316 <![CDATA[Review: MaryAnna's Summer Sweet Tea]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/n6OwO0fDgwM/showthread.php Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:24:02 GMT MaryAnna's Summer Sweet Tea starts with a sweet, lemony greeting, later finishing with a kick of tea to balance out the sweetness. The use of cane sugar and lemon are very obvious, contributing to the bold flavor and clean aftertaste. I think fans of sweet tea will smile once they try this drink!

Read full update at BevReview.com ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22315 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22315 Mini Golf 2009: Amy Wins 1st Matchup http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/_4UBjInXj3M/showthread.php Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:01:23 GMT Even though it's July, would you believe that Amy & I haven't had a chance to continue our summer tradition of annual mini golf matchups? We've been busy, that's for sure.

Click to enlarge

Previous mini golf adventures have been documented from a park in Niles, chain in the suburbs, an indoor chain in the city, way out in Aurora, and even down in Nashville. (My personal favorite, Novelty Golf, is still operating in Lincolnwood -- we played there on the day we got engaged -- but it's not one of Amy's favorites.)

However, tonight we headed over to the Skokie Sports Park and their Traveler's Quest Adventure Golf course for a little evening matchup.

Click to enlarge

This course is themed to be different locations around the world and has an educational element to it. The official website description:

Traveler's Quest offers 18 holes of around-the-world miniature golfing adventure unlike any other in the Chicagoland area. The theme, "Around the World," offers a different experience at every hole, whether you are putting under the Eiffel Tower, around a giant African elephant, or through a cascading waterfall! The golf course offers a great educational experience, as it is designed so that you and your family can learn a little geography without even trying!

In the end, Amy was victorious with a final score of 65 to my 67. This resulted in her posting the following on her Facebook status update:

"Amy is proud to announce that she beat her husband in mini golf tonight. But get ready, 'cause he's got all the excuses in the book ready to go (don't believe him)!"

I, of course, had to respond on Facebook in kind:

"Steve unfortunately lost in mini golf against Amy... but it was buggy, and I was kinda sick, and the lighting was bad, and the putters were the type that had the shaft mounted towards one end instead of the middle, and they didn't have my favorite color ball, and the course was full of debris, and there were people there that made it high pressure, and I'm not sure the scorecard was added properly "

Here's a scan of our scorecard:

Click to enlarge

I got my butt kicked. ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22296 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22296 <![CDATA[Win a Pepsi Natural "Au Natural" Giveaway Pack!]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/QPGNAnPr4Fg/showthread.php Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:44:52 GMT Thanks to the folks at Pepsi, BevReview.com is hosting a contest for a Pepsi Natural "Au Natural" Giveaway Pack. It includes a Pepsi Natural canvas bag, hat, yoga mat and tote, and yes, a 4-Pack of Pepsi Natural. Want to win? You'll need to enter by Wednesday, July 29!

Read full update at BevReview.com ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22270 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22270 Review: Sunkist Naturals Strawberry Dream http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/1GaIFKQUFGk/showthread.php Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:10:26 GMT Sunkist Naturals Strawberry Dream is a quality smoothie product made from fine ingredients. Unfortunately, it probably should be renamed "Banana Dream With A Hint Of Strawberry" due to the weak berry flavor. Visually appealing and still tasty, the branding on this product influenced my perceptions in a way that created an unmet expectation on flavor.

Read full update at BevReview.com ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22258 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22258 Review: Jones GABA Nectarine Tea Juice http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/wubE1XiHVNY/showthread.php Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:43:56 GMT With a light, non-bitter flavor that hints at peach with a mellow palette, Jones GABA Nectarine Tea Juice is an interesting blend of fruit and tea that promises to deliver heath benefits of focus and clarity. GABA or not, it's a genuinely tasty non-carbonated drink that's subtle and unique.

Read full update at BevReview.com ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22234 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22234 Review: Oh Yeah! Chocolate Milkshake http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/00MutymVYGw/showthread.php Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:10:12 GMT While I'm not a protein shake kinda guy -- I usually walk right past them at the gym -- I have to admit that Oh Yeah! Chocolate Milkshake was a delightful experience that surprised me. If you are looking for a tasty ready-to-drink nutritional option, I'd put this flavor into consideration.

Read full update at BevReview.com ]]> Tannerman http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22217 http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=22217 Made of Honor http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/steveandamysly/~3/MZveCY4s4pU/showthread.php Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:01:47 GMT