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Exercise Your Constitutional Right and Go Vote

11/6/2012 By Leave a Comment

Today is the big one… the 2012 Presidential election. I’ve already seen lots of posts on Facebook and Twitter urging others to go vote, and I’ve seen a few people argue that it’s their right not to vote if they don’t like either candidate. Well, while it is your right to vote, or not vote, I think that’s a misguided argument. The Presidential election isn’t the only issue on the ballots, and in most states there are more than two Presidential candidates. Libertarian Gary Johnson is on the ballot in 47 states.

I’ve also heard the argument that if you’re not in a swing state, your vote doesn’t really count. That’s not true, either. There are also state and local issues to vote on, and your vote can be the difference between a bill passing or failing, between the right candidate being elected or narrowly losing. There’s also something to be said about casting your vote for your candidate out of principle.

So, educate yourself on the issues and go vote today. If you’re in Georgia, you can look up a sample ballot and see what issues you are voting on. In our area, we have the Presidential election, county Sheriff, state representatives, and two Georgia constitutional amendments. I researched each candidate and issue on Google before hitting the polls this morning.

I don’t care about party affiliation or the candidate you vote for, as long as you are informed on the candidates and issues. You can make a difference. Go vote.

Filed Under: News & World Events, Personal Tagged With: , ,

11 Years Later, We Remember

9/11/2012 By Leave a Comment

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the morning of 9/11/2001. Me and our secretary at CCS were the only people in the office when I heard the news. All the news sites were crashing due to the heavy traffic so we walked downstairs to Rowe’s Jewelers and watched the news on a tiny 13″ TV in his store. The only way I can describe the feeling was shock and disbelief. It just didn’t seem real. I remember watching the first tower plume smoke when the plane crashed into the 2nd tower, and  then it was clear – this was no accident.

As the morning went on, we later heard of Flight 77 hitting the Pentagon, and Flight 93 which was brought down over Pennsylvania after the passengers revolted against the terrorists, and watched as the North Tower, and then the South Tower, collapsed killing thousands. As the events unfolded that morning, all we could do was pray, call loved ones to make sure they were okay, and try to wrap our heads around the magnitude of the attacks.

We were frightened, because we didn’t know how many other attacks had been planned or when they would occur. I felt safe in the small, unknown city of LaGrange, but I had friends and relatives in big cities all over the country. What was the next target? As the day  passed with no other attacks, we weren’t left with a feeling of relief. We were left wondering when and where would they strike again.

Although the immediate fear subsided, I think most Americans would agree that we have permanently changed since the 9/11 attacks. Some good, some bad. The attacks seem to have brought us together as a country–flags flew proudly all over America for months and many still fly daily that never did before the attacks. But we also have given up personal freedoms and dignity to fly, and it’s arguable whether we’re safer as a result. We fought a long war on terror, and saw Osama Bin Laden and many of Al Qaeda killed. But we lost thousands of American men and women in the process.

I used to think it was weird how people knew exactly where they were and what they were doing when we landed on the moon or JFK was assassinated… but now I know. It’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years since that horrible day… but I’ll always remember 9/11 and how it’s changed our lives forever.

Filed Under: Personal

VEDA: A Failure and a Success

8/28/2012 By Leave a Comment

On my birthday (August 1st) I decided to take up VEDA (Vlog Every Day in August) and make a video every single day about online marketing. I dubbed the videos 31 Days to Higher Conversions or 31DHC for short. As I started out I was really excited about making a video every day… but boy did I bite off more than I could chew!

The Failure

My first video took about 8 hours to film, edit, upload, and post to Vimeo and YouTube. I didn’t know how to use Final Cut Pro X, didn’t know the best settings for my camera, didn’t know where the best setup for lighting would be, and had never uploaded a 1+ GB file to YouTube. I was definitely in over my head.

That said, I think I did pretty well. I put out a week’s worth of videos, one every day, and shot a couple more I’ve yet to edit. The videos turned out really well, and got some good feedback.

I would have really loved to have been able to complete all 31 videos, but in all honesty the time commitment was just too much. I just didn’t have the time to spend 2 hours a day planning, recording, and editing video. And that was after I got the hang of it.

I learned that video production is hard. I have a lot more respect for people like Ze Frank and Lamar Wilson who put out videos almost every day. Even a simple 5-10 minute video sitting in the same spot can take a long time to film and edit. But I also found that I really liked making videos. I’m comfortable in front of the camera, and the editing side of it isn’t bad either.

The Success

While I may not have put out all 31 videos, I did learn a lot in the process, and not just about video production. As I was writing and producing the videos on conversion rate optimization, I saw a lot of areas that I could improve my own sites. In just a few weeks, we’ve made several changes that have increased our conversion rate substantially.

I could have possibly spent my weekends recording multiple videos per day, working late into the night to get them all out. It was possible. But I found while I was spending a lot of time on the videos, I was neglecting my actual business. So I took that time and focused on completing a few projects that had been on my list for some time.

In the end, I’m really glad I gave it a shot, and think I might make a video or two a week going forward to finish the series and re-launch it sometime later. If I could produce all the videos beforehand I think it would have a much better chance at success.

Filed Under: E-Commerce, Online Marketing, Personal Tagged With: ,

A New Adventure: Staging at Mare-Sol & C’sons

5/26/2012 By 1 Comment

Playing Chef

A few of my close friends know I am a passionate home chef. I have no formal training, but have loved cooking since my wife was pregnant with our first child and couldn’t stand the smell of being in the kitchen. Over the last 8 years I’ve learned a lot, but there is only so much you can learn from books and YouTube.

One of our clients at Kelsey Advertising & Design is a pair of restaurants in downtown LaGrange. Mare-Sol and C’sons are great restaurants, and I’ve enjoyed dining at each of them. Thanks to Executive Chef Marcus Means, I will be staging (apprenticing) at the restaurants occasionally over the next few weeks (or maybe months).

My first night in the kitchen was last Wednesday and I had a blast. I forgot how much I enjoyed working in a professional kitchen. I learned a lot of tips and tricks, and learned how to make my favorite appetizer at Mare-Sol, Mushroom Florentine with Lobster. They are stuffed mushrooms with a cream cheese stuffing, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked until perfection. I can’t wait to try something similar at home. I also learned how to make homemade cocktail sauce, which is surprisingly simple.

I’m excited about the opportunity to learn more about the culinary arts, and thought it would be also be a great opportunity to help others, so I’m thinking about starting a blog to chronicle my experience as a stage. Let me know what you think of the idea. Either way, it’s going to be fun!

Filed Under: Personal Tagged With: , , , , ,

Life is Fleeting

1/2/2011 By 4 Comments


Sometimes things happen that remind us how fleeting life really is. Today, I reconnected with the family of my childhood best friend, Andrew. He and I met when we were 5 or 6 and were best friends until my family moved from South Carolina when I was 12. We initially kept in touch, but as we got older we spoke less and less. He came to my wedding in 2002 – and that may have been the last time I spoke with him.

I’ve often thought about him, wondered what he was doing. I even Googled his name, and searched for him on Facebook a time or two. But I never really tried to find him. I never really tried to reconnect.

Tonight his mom, who was like a mother to me, found me on Facebook and soon after I learned that Andrew had passed away. Wow. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Growth & Leadership, Personal Tagged With:
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