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CLASS CLASS!!!!
Gave my 1st presentation to the Columbus Middle School (6th grade art class) yesterday and all was well. Today's presentation will be better as I know have a clue of what 6th graders are interested in with my stuff. 90% were loving what I was saying and 10% were SOOOO BORED!!! LOL
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While the Tea Party right wingers are REALLY interested in who is having sex with who in Washington and the Tea Party 9 in Wisconsin are calling on King Walker to arrest federal judges (seriously that are) something , under the radar has been quietly happening in the South China seas fort the last year.
You see China has been stealthy claiming ownership of the HUGE, strategically vital petroleum rich South and East China seas. And quietly (I guess not REAL quietly) the Pentagon has been slowly but deliberately moving more and more "resources" to the Pacific.
Already six Carriers are in the area. The B-1 bomber will receive new extended-range air-to-surface missiles next year. Guam is getting refurbished and fixed up. At the moment Australia ahs 250 Marines and will expand to 2500 and four brand new Littoral Combat Ships will be cruising around the shores of Singapore. hmmmmmmmm!
Notice Obama is taking a little trip to South East Asia soon. China is watching closely.
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PLEASE NOTE - in the comments there is a rebuttal to the below which seems logical. HEY - just repeating what was told to me by some angry people yesterday (as I was complaining about a parking ticket I had received). SO - take the below with a grain of salt and thank you for correcting me. Never a problem being correct!!
Check out this awesome map. If cost tax payers in Columbus $1800 to advertise for the Chamber of Commerce. They told the City Council that it was to bring business to Columbus. Notice that unless you pay $$ to Chamber you are not mentioned.
I thought that since you had to pay dues to Chamber they would not have to spend Columbus tax dollars to fund themselves. If all the business that are NOT in Chamber for various reason (like funding the Republican Party) asked the City Council for $1800, would they get it? I hope so. From the sound of it it might happen.
I know I don't want MY tax dollar going for this map. OH - the other side lists all of the Chamber companies.
I'm not anti-map but this is clearly just an advertisement and I do not believe I should have to pay for it UNLESS, other non-chamber businesses are mentioned. What are they doing with their dues anyway. I HOPE Main Street Org will receive $1800 also.
But the real news is that Hostess has liquidated and you will never see Twinkies, Cup Cakes, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, Sno Bals and the like ever again. SA IT AINT SO!!!
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Sunday Night - PBS - Ken Burns THE DUST BOWL!!! I saw clips and it looks really interesting
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Five Hour Energy Drink - Come on good grief. OK - they are investigating 13 deaths allegedly from Five Hour Energy Drink. While I'm sorry for the loss do you know how much of this is consumed? In four years 1 billion four hundred thirty million little drinks have been consumed. And the big worry is from 13 alleged deaths? Over one million a day are swallowed.
You have a 1 in one hundred eleven million chance of allegedly dieing every time you consume one. Do you think there are other things we might be exploring. How many people have died from swallowing their iPads!! Just sayin'.
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Rod Out
TWINKIES
That map was paid for with room tax funds not Columbus taxpayer funds. Room tax is paid for by people that spend the night in Columbus lodging establishments. A portion of the tax on your hotel room just about anywhere you stay is room tax which goes into that local municipal fund. Those funds are to be exclusively dedicated to projects, events, promotional materials that promote tourism.
ReplyDeleteIn most cases it's the local Chamber that is tasked with those duties and I'm fine with that. Technically the map qualified and the City Council had no reason to turn them down. In tourism based communities there are room tax war chests that give those communities the ability to produce mega marking campaigns to continue to draw people to their cities. Done right room tax is very effective at promoting tourism. That fills hotel rooms which creates demand for more hotels. More hotels generate more room tax which creates more tourism and it snowballs.
In communities without vision and weak marketing skills the room tax is typically dithered away on projects like business maps with half the business listed on them. The taxpayers of Columbus didn't spend a dime on the maps.
I wish Columbus (City Hall) in conjunction with the Chamber and other development groups would consider working together to hire a part time marketing person. Someone dynamic and very highly skilled in communication, marketing and design. Maybe 20 hours a week as an arm of the Columbus Economic Development department. Someone to pull together marketing thoughts to produce a clear, polished and consistent message. Someone with really strong people skills that knows how to get the message out to people.
ReplyDeleteThis person would:
- Manage the City/Chamber websites to promote events and business's
- Manage an extensive Columbus business facebook page
- Develop and manage a Columbus Twitter account
- Manage and develop a Columbus business blog
- Develop consistent high quality print media for use by the city and business owners
- Send out by-weekly e-newsletters to Columbus business owners and beyond
- Reach out and communicate with every small business owner within 50 miles selling the virtues of Columbus
- Reach out to highly unique business owners anywhere selling the virtues of Columbus
- Manage the local business round table meetings and assist the City ED Director with marketing projects
A polished message coming from a managed source would greatly increase the potential for business development in Columbus. This would be an excellent use of room tax funds, chamber dues. other private and public funds earmarked for economic development all working in combination to produce a high quality marking product.
We've bounced around the idea of relocating the last few years. For kicks I spent $40 on an associate membership in the Mineral Point Chamber of Commerce three years ago. I never renewed my membership after that first year. To this day I receive two newsletters a month (email) and something in the mail about once every other month about things going on in MP. I get a new membership application in the mail every year. I get invited to their business development meetings, chamber meetings and gatherings. Obviously all this takes time and they do have an employee managing all of this. We may or may not ever move to Mineral Point but if we would that certainly would impact the decision. That is how to bring new business to your community. OK Rod way to open the floodgates...
ReplyDeleteand BTW people in MP piss and moan about how things get done over there too :-)
ReplyDeleteMP = Mineral Point
ReplyDeleteYou know that a couple of us had a really great design for a website (almost had it completed) for Columbus and all sorts of pamphlets with new catchy logos and were almost ready. But were shot down at the last minute because the group wanted the OLD design instead because the new trendy looking design were not the old design.
ReplyDeletePlenty of Democrats are ALSO interested in what Petreaus was up to.
ReplyDelete