Super Bowl XLVI is history, and the NY Giants are champions again.  Anyone that knows me, knows I love football, and that I am a die-hard Washington Redskins fan.  Hey, if my team couldn't be in the Super Bowl, I figured I may as well root for someone from our division right?

Just some passing thoughts on this Super Bowl, the commercials, and everything related to the greatest spectacle in sports!

Super Bowl & Football Thoughts

• Eli Manning IS an elite quarterback. His place in football history along with his spot in the Football Hall of Fame is secure.  
• Archie Manning not only showed us what a good quarterback can do; he showed us how to raise good young men and provide them with the opportunity to succeed at what they wanted to do.
• Tom Coughlin is a Hall of Fame Coach.  No discussion necessary.
• The Patriots were out played and out coached.
• Tom Brady and at times the Patriots, looked like they had never been to a Super Bowl; that was stunning to me. Intentional grounding out of your own end zone?  Really? Meanwhile the Giants looked like they were in control the entire game. 

The Commercials

• Client Eastwood is still THE man!  That Chrysler commercial gave me chills. Yes, they took government money in a bailout, but they paid it back.  Great job Clint & Chrysler.
• Dogs are lovable and they sell!  Several commercials featuring dogs that were very well done.
• Pepsi still has it! Or at least their marketing firm does.  The Castle Commercial was classic Pepsi, a great spot.
• Sex sells. GoDaddy.com. Do we expect anything more from them? 
• Ferris. Bueller.  VW & Mathew Broderick; instant classic.
• We never get tired of Betty White.
• I am very tired of promos for The Voice.
• The M&M commercial was funny! Brown is the new color and the red M&M stripping was hilarious!  Thanks Dawn ( @VAinParadise ) for the reminder! 

Madonna & The Halftime Show

• Wondering if Bridgestone is pleased with what they paid for?
• At 53, Madonna can still move and looked great. I know I don't look half that good at 47! 
• Dancing in 8" heels can lead to certain trips; but she did have great recovery.
• Lip syncing: never have liked it and think it's lame.  Had a great discussion on Twitter last night with Sueanne Shirzay ( @SueanneShirzay ) about this.  I respectfully disagree with her; no matter what the size of the venue, you shouldn't have to lip sync if you can still sing :)
• MIA flipping off the nation.  Really; what that necessary?  For this reason alone, I think the show sucked; just not the venue for it.

Social Media & The Super Bowl

• A lot was made prior to the game about social media and the NFL, but to me the most use of social media was the advertisers. Several commercials were leaked via advertisers YouTube channels prior to airing on Super Bowl Sunday. I believe there was an attempt to recereat VW's success last year with the Darth Vader commercial.  
• Social media cannot be forced.  Communities and discussions cannot be forced. None of the spots created that Darth Vader buzz prior to the game.
• I noticed, especially on Twitter, more discussion of the commercials than the game.  Found this very interesting.

Those are my thoughts and ramblings.  How about you? Did you like the game, the show, the commercials?  Or did you not even watch?

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

 

In light of this weeks 24 hour blackout against SOPA, we thought it would be a good idea to explore what the world would be like without WIkipedia. Check it out below:

 

<br />Created by: Online University

 

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

I must admit, I have been a fan of Ford motor company for years. Over the years I have owned two Ford's and my family has been loyal to the Ford brand for many years.  It didn't hurt that my uncle, Bob Ripley worked for a local Ford Dealership for several decades.  Anyone familar with southern West Virginia will recognize the name Dodson-Hager Ford.

Thinking of the cars Ford has produced over the years brings back great memories.  Come on, the Ford Mustang?  How great was and is that car?  Well, with the exception of the Mustang II during the 1970's, but we can overlook that period in time. 

The current line up of Ford products seem to further the quality of the brand. I do not own a Ford currently, but their trucks, SUV's and some of their cars are worth the look in my opinion.

The current line up Ford commercials, at leeast the interveiew style commercials, stink in my opinion!

If you haven't seen them; here is one:

Recently these commercials have underwent a makevover of sorts, shifting the interview to outside, on the steps of a building in impromptu press conference styel format.  Complete with someone, portraying a photographer, running up to snap pictures of the interviewee. So, what is my problem with the commercials?  They are old school and expect the viewers to believe that these Ford owners are surprised to be interviewed.  They show "reporters" writing down answers and sticking microphones in the faces of the owners.  And, they have NO reference to social media whatsover! Even at the end of the commercial, no website link, Twitter image, Facebook logo or YouTube brand page link.  I guess what makes me shake my head is that Ford has a strong online and social presence, so why hide it?  Click over to Facebook; they have MULTIPLE pages; one for each model!  It's like these commercials are produced by a complete different marketing department; and they seem so fake! They are not attempting to connect or build a community at all with these commercials. 

Do shoppers turn to social to research cars prior to purchasing?  Yes, check out this post from Splash Media:  Social Media Marketing CAN Fuel Auto Sales - If Done Right.  Cars.com has done it for years, so can all other brands. 

Those are my thoughts, and a bit of a rant I suppose. But what do you think? Do you like the commercials? Are they effective? 

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

 

The latest edition of the Socialnomics 3 video, an even longer 4:00+ version, has been making the rounds on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.  If you are not familiar with the video, it is  the world's most watched social media series by Erik Qualman. Based on #1 Best Seller Socialnomics.

It seems like social networking powerhouse LinkedIn has pulled a Facebook this week.  They opened up their 100 million + users to a default setting that allows names and images to be used  for third-party advertising.  Facebook did this several months ago, and now LinkedIn has followed suit.

I was blessed today to have another morning on this earth, and to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee on my deck as the sun started it's journey across the sky.  I snapped this photo of the moon agains the backdrop of the blue sky and clouds and started pondering our significance in the universe.                   Watching the final Space Shuttle mission and the landing of Atlantis took me back to my childhood; like most boys, I wanted to be an astronaut!  I still want to fly into space and look down upon the earth.  That would be so cool! Alas, that is not an option at this point, so I will just keep looking towards the Heaven's and keep that dream alive! Looking to the stars and the vastness of the universe, or even our own lives, it is easy to feel insignificant, but that is not the case. We all touch countless lives as we live our life.  The people we see each day and interact with, our family, friends, co-workers, we impact them all.  Are you impacting those lives in a positive manner?  Am I?  That is the constant question. Working in and spending a considerable amount of time in social media, I communicate with thousands of people. I am always aware of this and strive to make a positive impact in those lives.  I hope I do.  If you spend time in social media or social networking, you have a similar opportunity.  You have the opportunity to  make a significant impact or difference in the lives of others. Before you send that next Tweet or post something to one of your profiles, think about that.  Think about how it will impact your friends and followers, as well as your own reputation.  Will it be positive and supportive or negative?  However you choose to impact others, just know you do, and treat those "virtual" relationships with care; these are real people on the other side of the screen. How do you make a significant difference in the lives of others?  

I posted on Facbook this morning that you never know where a connection can lead.  My dear friend, referral partner and all around incredible soul, Suni Heflin, re-posted and added to my comments.  As you can see from the comment flow below, many people believe in connecting, building relationships with integrity and the power of networking; especially in a smaller community. This got me to thinking; how many times do we underestimate the potential power of a connection.

• Do we overlook someone due to the way they dress or look?
• Do we miss a potential connection because we are too wrapped up in our own world?  Or our smart phone?
• Do we avoid connecting with someone because we didn't agree with a Tweet or a Post or a Blog Article?
• Do we realize the potential power of others network?

Every person we meet could be a potential connection, an opportunity to assist or help or a business opportunity. If I hadn't connected with Suni, I would have missed an incredible friendship and the opportunity to watch her write the next chapter of her life and career!  Stay tuned for more on that! Put yourself out there; in person, and online.  Make a connection; never underestimate where it can lead. Those are my thoughts.  What about you?  How have you seen the power of connections enrich your life?                                              

Guest Blogger – Julia Rosien, Social Media Strategist & Chief Idea Officer

Friends, please welcome Julia Rosien, social media strategist, to JohnLusher.com. I have been fortunate enough to know Julia for the past couple of years through social media, and my life is richer because of it. Her energy, enthusiasm and lust for life is inspiring. Maybe you are new to social media and social networking, or possibly you consider yourself a veteran; either way, Julia has great advice in Building Your Online Network.

The Screen is yours Julia!!

Just because you build it, doesn’t mean they’ll come

I’m a self-proclaimed social media evangelist – I spend too much time there and have more fun before 6 am than some people do all day. But even though I’ve been on Twitter since 2007, doesn’t mean I believe it’s for everyone. Twitter is like visiting Saudi Arabia if you’ve never stepped foot out of North Carolina – the culture shock can be a bit of a hurdle. Social networking is no longer an option for most of us today. It’s where we need to be to grow our businesses, continue learning and connect with people who can help us do both. If you’re considering using Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (or one of the 27 other networks cropping up) understand that everyone uses social media differently. My mom is on Facebook because she wants to share in her kids’ and grandkids’ lives. My former boss used LinkedIn for a different reason…I’m on Twitter to learn from others and share my work as well. Before you sign up for Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, ask yourself some serious questions – because starting in social media and abandoning it is more damaging than not starting at all.

• What do you want get out of social media – sales, brand awareness or maybe community building? (And yes, even if you’re not a business you can build your personal brand on social media.)
• How much time you have to devote to it? Can you spare ½ hour a day? Do you have more time on weekends but nothing to spare Monday to Friday?
• Where are your peeps hanging out? If your industry thinks Twitter is a tween thing, LinkedIn might be a better bet.

Now start looking at which network best suits your needs, time availability and social skills.

Twitter ~ Social media soirée

From the moment Twitter launched in 2006, it was a cocktail party. It’s evolved into many things since those early days but it’s still a social space where sharing is top priority. Regardless of how big your network is, the average tweet has a shelf life of 1 hour. But it can be a powerful way to connect with a wide variety of people across many networks. If you’re a connector and like sharing, Twitter might be for you. And remember, it’s not just for geeks. One of my favorite people to follow is a local farmer who tweets from the tractor, the chicken coup, whenever he can grab 5 minutes. He’s got a wicked sense of humor and knows that relationships with his local community start with making friends.

Facebook ~ The full meal deal

For many folks, Facebook is the easiest network to understand and contribute to. It allows you to post pictures, chat with friends and co-workers (at a slower pace than Twitter) and share information about your industry or concerns. Facebook can be a great place to test the waters of social media because of its speed. Couple things to remember:

• Take time to get to know people – networking is about sharing, not self-promotion
• Share yourself – people want to get to know the real you. If you’re using Facebook for business and personal, think of it as the company picnic. Have fun but behave.
• Remember John’s pay-it-forward philosophy and talk to your friends about what matters to them. It will come back to you.

LinkedIn – Your best foot forward

I’m always a little amazed when people tell me that LinkedIn is only for job seekers. That would be like saying you only nurture relationships when you need something. A relationship, like communication, is a two-way process that takes care and nurturing. Recently on LinkedIn, a job opportunity came my way that wasn’t right for me. I passed it along to my contacts and connected the employer with someone looking for that particular specialty. Although the players were in different countries, they found a way to make it work. Further proof that John’s pay-it-forward philosophy is the best way to navigate through social networks. If you’re testing the waters of social media, it’s time to jump in with gusto. Pick a network and start building your profile. What are you afraid of? Success? Got social media questions?  Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook or connect with me on LinkedIn – I’m always on.