According to research done in December 2008 by Pew Internet & American Life Project, 11% of online American adults said they used a service like Twitter that allowed them to share updates about themselves with others.

With this growing popularity in mind, I recently tried to make Twitter part of my daily routine. I signed up, gave myself a Twitter name, and got a bunch of people to follow me.  However, I ran into couple of problems: I’m never on Twitter long enough to really follow anyone, and when I did “tweet,” none of my followers tweeted back. It seemed as though one constantly has to be online with Twitter to really keep up, and since I’m working most of the day, I don’t know how that’s possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t totally disagree with the concept behind Twitter, but unless you’re a celebrity or have a profound love of a specific topic or person, does anyone really want or have time to read or write 20 tweet updates a day?  My conclusion: if you’re really going to be a Twitter fan, you’ll need to be very committed or it just doesn’t seem like fun. It should be fun, shouldn’t it?

This video crystalizes my thoughts on Twitter in a nutshell:

Yippee, it’s Earth Day. The annual celebration of the best of our intentions to help change the world and save our planet.  And yet our ecosystem remains rather indifferent to our eco-affiliations, environmental causes and green agendas.  In it’s brilliant simplicity, the planet responds to only one thing: ACTION.

Mother Nature Could Care Less…

…whether you’re Republican, Democratic, Green Party or Independent: Partisanship aside, the globe warms us all equally. Personally become more sustainable and worry about the party later.

…whether you’re a man or woman: C02 does not discriminate. Pay attention to your carbon footprint and learn how you can reduce it.

…whether you’re rich or poor, or somewhere in between: Maybe you can’t afford a hybrid car or solar for your home, but you certainly can’t afford to ignore the FREE and easy things you can do to help save the planet and your money; like turning down your thermostat, recycling, and re-purposing stuff.

…whether you’re young or old: Our lungs all work the same,  and most of them are extremely efficient at sucking in air pollution.  The clear solution is to simply drive less.

…whether you’re good looking or ugly: No one is immune to free radicals from environmental toxins that ravage our bodies. Detoxify your home with natural cleaners.

…whether you’re bright or dim: Switch to CFL light bulbs.

…whether you’re an environmentalists or redneck: When a species becomes extinct, we all lose. Support smart land management and care for the outdoors like it’s your indoors.

…whether you’re a shopaholic or miser: Non-sustainable products produced by carbon belching factories cost consumers much more than money, so vote with your wallet and buy green.

…whether or not you’re thirsty: When we run out of clean drinking water, we run out. So please use our water wisely, and you’ll conserve some cash while you’re at it.

…whether or not you’ve got a green thumb: Everyone pays the same market and environmental price for our produce. Plant an organic garden – weeds and all – and save money, the planet, and some sanity.

…whether you’re a titan of industry or child laborer: Inequality in the workplace threatens to dismantle the world economy. Ask for and buy fair trade when you can.

…whether you’re hungry or full: When we carelessly strip our lands of natural resources to feed our collective consumption, the table becomes bare for all.

…whether you’re an extrovert or a wallflower: The subtleties of our environment our immensely more powerful than the extremes or our beliefs. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

…whether you’re a believer or an atheist: When it’s all said and done, we all compost equally – Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

So today, celebrate Earth Day.  Download this calendar of the 26 things you can do in less than five minutes each day to save the world. It won’t cost you a dime. You can use it during any month. You’ll probably save the planet, and a thousand bucks.

(This post originally appeared on ParkHowell.com, “A Brighter Shade of Green Marketing”)

AROUND THE RECESSION IN 100 DAYS - DAY 22

Here’s some death-defying news about the recession: it’s actually good for you. Researchers claim that for every 1% increase in the unemployment rate, the death rate goes down .5%. So whatever it is you’re doing to stay alive in this economy, it’s working.

Here are some reasons they’re giving (plus a few of my own) to explain this phenomenon:

1. People eat better, smoke & drink less, and exercise more when they’re out of dough. (What the…? Not on my watch.)
2. Cleaner air and fewer traffic accidents due to less manufacturing and driving.
3. Fewer postal workers means fewer workers going postal.
4. More people in training to kick the @#*% out of the boss who fired them.
5. Without health insurance, people are doing anything to cheat death ’til medicare kicks in.
6. Tight budgets create a nation of do-it-yourselfers. Most of us are now doing our own dry cleaning, spay and neutering, and illegal cable hookups. All of which burn calories.
7. Rampant foreclosures are forcing more people to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle.
8. People pawning their guns to put tofu and Mountain Dew on the table lowers murder rate.
9. Children have been seen engaging in the bizarrely primitive act of walking to school. (Reports are still unconfirmed.)
10. Jobless adults have more time to engage in youthful activities they’ve always dreamed of—like pirating off Somalia.

How are you staying alive and healthy in this economy? Comment below.

Improving search ranking can be daunting, considering search engines are notoriously secretive about their formulas in order to prevent the masses from taking advantage of the formulas for a profit. Sometimes that fairness upsets the big brands on the block (although not lately) but it makes Google one of the most egalitarian sites on the internet. Anyone and everyone with a website has a chance to be on the first page of Google search results. The real key is knowing what search engine robots are looking for when they come to your site.

What you must be thinking now is “How can he say that he knows ways to improve search ranking, when the search engines are keeping their formulas a secret?” Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is oftentimes a matter of using the scientific process. Try something and if it doesn’t work, try something else. Eventually you’ll come to proven conclusions of how to improve your search ranking.

The following are 3 quick ways you can improve your search ranking:

• Improve your keyword use. – This doesn’t mean keyword stuffing. It also doesn’t mean overloading the keyword meta data that Google actually ignores. What it really means is using words and phrases that relate specifically to your business and improve the quality of your site. The search robots are constantly under the watchful eye of actual humans, and as such, they are continually redesigned and improved in order to give optimum results to searchers. Don’t try to trick them. The bottom line here is that you need to create quality content that serves your customers and web users. Or you can find someone who will help you improve your ranking.
• Use keyword specific page titles – Quick! Look up at the top of your browser window. Way at the top. Now that I have you back, I’m sure you noticed that there was some writing up there that displayed the title of this blog post, and the name of the website you’re visiting. So why’s this important? That writing at the top of the page is the very first bit of content that a search engine robot sees when it comes by to index your site. That makes it a first-impression of sorts, and you know the deal about first impressions. Improve your ranking by inserting meaningful keywords that relate to the content for that page into the title tag.
• Invite others to link to your site – Amongst SEO specialists, the typical opinion of ranking formulas is that one of the most important aspects of search ranking is linking. There are a lot of other elements that make up the supposed formula, such as the popularity of the sites that link to yours and where the links are on the page, but the main idea is to attract links. If you have a blog, invite guest bloggers to write a post and then link back to your site from theirs. It’s also important to have quality linkable content that other sites will want to reference. Lastly, you should be linking out to other sites as well. Improving your search ranking can be as simple as becoming a part of the community of people in your field.

These steps may seem oversimplified to the experienced eye, however they can make a difference. Getting to the first page of search results can have a major effect on a company’s income, so why not give it a shot? Try these small steps and keep a sharp eye on your rankings for a few weeks, and if things don’t improve, try changing a few things and go back to watching the results. Sooner or later you’ll likely find a nice mix, and even if you don’t make it to page one, any small improvement in your search ranking could make a big difference.

Scott Hansen, posted this video originally taken from TED about a Polish Art Director and how a redesign saved a newspaper. Since I am both Polish and an Art Director, I found particular relevance in this story.

In an industry like newspapers, where every day a new challenge arises, this is a great story both for newspapers and for Art Directors. It just goes to show how impactfull skilled creative content (whether it be design, art direction or writing) can really be.

I’m a Lakers fan, unabashed and unapologetic. Growing up in Southern California, if you’re a basketball fan, you’re a Lakers fan because seriously, no one roots for the Clippers. Being that I’m a Lakers fan, I’m also the exact opposite of a Celtics fan. With every cell of my being I despise the Celtics, from Red Auerbach and his slimy cigars to Kevin McHale’s clothesline to Paul Pierce’s fake leg injury. So when I was watching a game recently between those Celtics and the Chicago Bulls, I was struck by the fact that there were two teams on the floor and the team wearing all green wasn’t the road Celtics, but the hometown Bulls. I was instantly aghast and reaching for my phone to call the league office and offer my admonitions about the Bulls’ sudden color change, when I heard the announcer mention that the NBA was promoting their Green Week. Man was I relieved. Were I to be forced into watching another team wear that disgusting color on a regular basis, I might unleash a barrage of hateful emails to the league office. Three teams have elected to participate in this insidious green marketing effort. The Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Bobcats and Chicago Bulls will all be donning that putrid shade to bring attention to the NBA’s environment-loving measures. Shame on them.

I can’t say the NBA isn’t doing a great thing by marketing theirs and their teams’ sustainability efforts, but couldn’t they have picked picked a different shade of green for the teams to wear maybe? Don’t get me wrong, I love that the NBA is pushing that the Mavs are purchasing carbon offsets and renewable energy credits, the Jazz have offered fans a free home energy audit, and the Suns have the NBA’s premiere spokesman for the green movement. These efforts show that the NBA isn’t just marketing green, but following through with the actions of its teams. But back to the real issue at hand here, which is the incessant display of a particular shade of the color green.

Consider this an open letter to those in charge of marketing Green Week. The Celtics have tortured my existence for a large part of my time as a Lakers fan, and now thanks to NBA green marketing, I get to suffer just a little bit more. Please, in the interest of not confusing casual fans and not making me slightly ill, pick a different shade of green for these teams to wear next season. It’s already difficult enough for me to watch one team wear that grotesque color, let alone three more, even if it is for a good cause and just one game a year. Thanks for ruining my week, NBA.

I’ve been in and around advertising for more years than I care to mention. When I first got in the business, everyone warned me about the stress of working in an agency. After all, advertising account executives are listed in the top five most stressful jobs according to Careercast.com. Yep, working in an agency would eventually wreak havoc on my health, psyche, personal time and sense of humor.

Advertising is a tough business with more than its share of ups and downs. Clients lose the love for their agency and find that spark with another. A major account leaves and half your happy hour buddies are gone the next week. New marketing directors bring new insights, ideas, and sometimes other agencies with them. The office coffee machine is broken so you don’t have that first shot of caffeine you need in the morning.

Well, I’m happy to say that after many years at a variety of agencies, working on national accounts and small local start-ups, I don’t have an ulcer, I don’t have to see a therapist, I still have time for fun, and my sense of humor is probably better (it has to be in our business).

Why have I been so fortunate? I think its because of some advice from great people I have been fortunate to work with.

1. As many a wise man/woman has said, two heads are better than one; five heads are better than two. You really need a team to tackle all the challenges that agencies face. If you think you can do it all on your own, you will need a therapist soon and your family will hate you.

2. One of my mentors told me to survive in this business you have to try to stay on an even keel. It’s the drastic ups and downs that kill you. Hit a home run? Celebrate and fully appreciate it, but don’t feel bulletproof. You badly miss the mark for the client?  Feel the pain and learn from it, but don’t go into the black hole of depression. In either case, remember, tomorrow is a new day and you could win the lottery.

3. I don’t want to diminish what we do (and some clients will hate to hear this), but with a few exceptions, what we produce isn’t saving lives. We don’t perform brain surgery or pull people from burning buildings. We do educate, stimulate and propagate. Keep it in perspective or your life might be in danger.

4. Always try to manage expectations with the client and with the agency staff.  If you make sure people know what to expect, then very few surprises will pop up that you have to stress about. That’ll help keep that ulcer away.

5. Since our business is hard and we spend so much time at work, make an effort to identify and appreciate the talents in the people you labor with – both clients and staff. Sometimes finding what you can appreciate isn’t always easy. But if you build on that and nurture relationships, work may not be any easier, but it will be more bearable. Heck, it might even be more fun.

6. I’ve always had a desk drawer full of chocolates in my office. One Twix or Kit Kat and dark clouds seem to fade away. Not only for me, but the rest of the staff who snag a few during the day. Chocolate - the miracle drug.

7. Make time to watch the Simpsons to fight off the blahs. Is there anything that this show can’t cure?

But the biggest reason I survived in this crazy business is because I love what I do. Corny, I know. But if you don’t love advertising, there are much easier ways to make money.

That’s about it.

Oh, wait. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - 10 boxes for $5. Keeps me going strong.