This is a fascinating report on blogging from Technorati. This is some serious data.
http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
State of the BLogosphere 2008
Fiscal Future of America: This should be worth watching
I'm not a big fan of Senator Hatch, but I think this group of speakers will be worth watching. If you are in Utah County, it's a great opportunity to see these gentlemen in a small venue. If you are not local. Watch it broadcast live at this link:
Utah Valley University will host the following national figures will be speaking next week.
Senator Orrin Hatch
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Former Head of Congressional Budget Office and Chief Economist for President's Council of Economic Advisors
Steve Forbes, Publisher Forbes.com
Learn more at
http://www.uvu.edu/woodbury/pdfs/Economic%20Forum.pdf
Read articles about this event:
http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/article_1129e24e-7445-517a-bcec-f4c136eacdef.html
http://www.fox13now.com/news/seenontv/kstu-economic-forum-at-uvu-info,0,4530564.story
AIGA XCD China Expedition Oct 17-31, 2009
The 2009 AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design (AIGA XCD) Design Expedition to China is filling up fast. Last year, we connected with designers for the Beijing Olympics. This year, you will attend the Icograda World Congress and meet with thousands of designers from all over the world. So it's a two for one special--visit top design and advertising firms in three or four cities in China AND meet designers from more than 50 countries.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this year, but the group will not disappoint you.
For more information and application forms, visit the AIGA XCD webiste.
Super Model Series: Integrated Marketing
This is the first of a series of diagrams that I will post. I call them "Super Models(TM): Powerful Principles of Marketng." Each diagram represents a model for solving a marketing problem.
This model shows how to integrate different marketing disciplines to increase their effectiveness in achieving bottom line results. With any marketing process, an organization must take customers through the AIDA process. You must first make your customers "Aware," then you must develop "Interest." This is followed by a "Desire" on the part of the customer and finally they take "Action." Traditionally advertising agencies were only concerned with building awareness and this is how they defined their success. Thus the famous line, "I know half my advertising is wasted, I just don't know which half." If you are only concerned with building awareness, the rest of the steps are left to chance. This method helps one to think about taking the customer all the way to the final action. The small circles are points where the goal is to measure the hand-off from one medium to another. If you can measure the effectiveness of each effort, improvements can be made. If you can measure the whole process, success can be improved. It's not easy to measure some of these points, but the industry is making progress with things like Personal URLs, unique 800 numbers and other methods to improve measurement of advertising. A company called InsideSales.com is doing some really interesting work in this area.
Thanks to Ken Foster and Tim Larson of the Communications Department at the University of Utah for developing this model. I am fortunate enough to know these gentlemen and have the opportunity to redesign the visual diagram.
Growth Industries are Where the Jobs Are
In his book, The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman lays out strategies for staying employed in the new global marketplace. With individuals and companies all over the world able to do everything from manufacturing to design to bookkeeping, it is important to do your homework to make sure you are in a growth industry. This blog post is focused on job growth industries in Utah and the United States.
Best and Worst Jobs
A survey done by CareerCast.com studies the best and worst jobs--The top three are in the field of math. Here is an article about it from the Wall Street Journal.
Wall Street Journal Survey--Best and Worst Jobs
Math Careers
The Brigham Young University Department of Mathematics (BYU Math) has a website (in Beta) that presents a lot of great information about high-paying careers in math.
When Will I Use Math?
Trades
Green Indusrty Jobs
San Francisco Chronicle--"Green Industry a field with a future"
The Utah Technology Council has been tracking specialties in the IT and Life Sciences industries for growth. Here are a few highlights. Data is from the Utah Department of Workforce Services.
Utah Information Technology -- Number of Employees (2001-2006)
Web search portals up 53.30%
Electronic Shopping Auctions up 38.89%
Customer comptuer pregramming services up 17.49%
Computer facilities management services up 12.40%
Utah Life Sciences
Other computer related services down 24.44%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing down 23.36%
Cable and other program distribution down 15.65%
Utah Life Sciences -- Average Annual Pay (2001-2006)
Electromedical apparatus mfg up 9.12% ($56,479)
Testing Laboratories up 8.98% ($44,048)
Medical Laboratories up 6.18% ($41,097)
R&D in physical , engineering and life sciences down 1.33% ($63,219)
KSL Channel 5 report on job growth industries in Utah
ksl.com - Despite rough economy, some industries are begging for workers
If you have any links to specific information about growth industries where jobs will be more plentiful in the future, please leave a comment with a link.
Spring City, Utah ~ Authentic Utah Pioneer Town
Spring City, Utah Annual Heritage Day
Saturday, May 23, 2009
When I was in sixth grade, I lived in Spring City, Utah. Our school was small so my class was combined with the fifth grade and our teacher was the principal. That winter was the time when I learned about sticking your tounge to a frozen flagpole. Luckily I didn't have to learn it directly. It was another kid who took the dare. I was little then, but I also remember the walls of our pioneer house were about 3 feet thick.
This weekend, and every Saturday before Memorial Day, the City of Spring City holds a historic homes tour. It's worth going. The entire town of Spring City is a historic district that has become a mecca for artists. This trend for artists moving to Spring City was started by Joe and Lee Bennion. They moved there the year I was in sixth grade. I am also happy to say that we continue to be friends.
Joe Bennion, Horseshoe Mountain Pottery
Joe has never locked his shop. You can walk in 24/7 and pay for the pottery in the metal box on the gate.
Lee Bennion, Painter
We are fortunate to have a painting for each of our children at the age of eight years old. Lee is currently working on N's portrait. M is next.
Information on the Heritage Days Tour
History of Spring City (not politically correct in parts)
Video Introduction to Spring City
Google Map of Spring City
Link to this post: http://bit.ly/ONMVV
More stops on the Timpanogos Harley tour
Lots of bikes and the gear to make the lifestyle complete.
Windows from the retail shop present a view of the pristine repair shop. The bikes are lifted up for ease in repairing, but this also serves them up nicely for viewing.
Various custom manhole covers are spread about both inside and out.
Dopler Radar is available to help you plan the next leg of your ride. Although in Utah, the weather is pretty dry during the summer. Not a lot of chance for rain.
Visit the Timpanogos Harley website.
Timpanogos Harley Davidson--Taking the Harley experience one step further
Welcome to Timpanogos Harley Davidson in Lindon, Utah. This is an amazing place and a great example of creating a strong retail experience. Timp Harley is a destination and the only Harley dealership to have a restaurant according to the owner. Here's a tour of the place.
Marley's, where the slider is king.
Is Middle America Anti-Design?
After many years championing cross-cultural design, I'm working a lot recently on community banking which is hyper-local. As part of this effort, I'm interested in the relationship between the home-town/middle America audience segment and design. It seems to me that this segment rejects high design when it conveys a feeling of the big city and all the decadent values it represents. I would like to know more about this and I will be studying it for some time.
If you have any information on this subject, please post a comment or e-mail me at info [at] christopherliechty [dot] com.
PRISM Social Groups
I am fascinated lately with audience segmentation. This page is the best I have found recently for easily finding a particular segment. The others just list the segments and leave you to read them all to find the ones you are looking for. I like these groupings.
http://www.srds.com/frontMatter/ips/lifestyle/reports/prizm.html
Semiotics: the study of signs
Here's to my sweetheart Hailey who introduced me to semiotics. She's one smart cookie. This is one more example of how she makes me look good. :x Thanks H!
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