Is Barbie watching me?

Something really really weird happened to me. (Okay, maybe I am over reacting but since the whole Facebook/Beacon privacy issue ordeal - who knows who is watching).

I did a quick search on Google for Barbie to see what their latest products are for the holidays. Not really a Barbie fan myself (never was), I didn't really know what type of products were out there. Plus, I wanted to take a peak at their interactive site.

About an hour later, I get an email (in my gmail account) from ecarpetgallery promoting these Barbie rugs.

I have never bought a carpet from this store...I actually have never bought a carpet...period.

Is this blonde watching me.

PS. I am kinda afraid of dolls to begin with.

My Top 10 Most Used Applications, Programs, etc.

Gmail now over 5GB
Originally uploaded by sneek

I know it is not the end of the year, but I had a feeling this morning to blog about this. I don't know why...but here it goes.

My top 10 applications (programs, widgets, social media tools etc. that I use a lot)

10. Facebook
9. Blogger
8. Flickr
7. iTunes (needs to update my iPod)
6. Google Search
5. Text Messaging on the good ol' mobile
4. Delicious
3. MyVault and other online banking
2. Google Documents
1. Gmail

The Great Refridgerator Roundup

Mark and I had a terrible fridge. It would suck the moisture of out ice, take the crispness out of vegetables and of course, use up a lot of energy.

So we did the deed and bought ourselves a new fridge. But, the company we bought the fridge from would not remove our old fridge for free.

I went a searching on the web to see if there were any programs out there to remove old appliances, not only for free but also being environmentally safe - and I came across Every Kilowatt Counts and The Great Refrigerator Roundup. This program encourages citizens to purchase new, more energy efficient fridges as well as get rid of old ones sitting in basements and garages (you know, those second refrigerators).

Brilliant! They can take my fridge away! (If you are interested in this, make sure you read the eligibility first).

I rang them up (you can also do this online) and it was all settled within 5 minutes. We had a date and time. Easy!

After forgetting my date and time (I have been busy), I went back to the site and found my reservation...I can even change it and/or request an earlier pick-up.

I found that the site's ease-of-use, clear language and optional 'phone-in' make this program a success. I would like to see the number of people who do choose to switch refrigerators because of this program.

The Secret's In the Store

I am not a big fan of Wal-Mart - but when I came across their holiday/black Friday site - I was quite impressed.

It is a great and I think cheap way of gathering leads and creating a fun interactive experience for those who will be visiting the store during this crazy holiday shopping day. The webpage is simple and to the point.

Upcoming events

Just a quick FYI on some great events coming down the pipe in the next few days, weeks...

Toronto Geek Girl Dinner
Wednesday, November 14th

Casecamp 6
Tuesday, November 20th

Oprah on YouTube

It had to happen, Oprah's own channel on YouTube. Afterall, it does makes sense for the brand - making sure they properly leverage all media - digital included...but are they leveraging it correctly?

1. They have disabled the 'embed' feature so users/viewers are unable to post video somewhere else. Can we not share the love?

2. Check out the ABOUT:
"Oprah talks about her brand new YouTube channel and takes you behind the scenes of the show. Please note that, while we invite your comments, due to the number of comments received, only selected comments will be posted at the discretion of the channel manager."

With over 200,000 view - they only have 4 comments?

Why so much control? Heck, this is no different than what they already offer on their website?

Soulja Boy - has a brand caught on to this yet?

Crank That MUSIC VIDEO Album In Stores:
Views: 18,785,385
Comments: 32,634
Favorited: 63,574 times



INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO:
Views: 14,803,881
Comments: 16,688
Favorited: 88,684 times



PS. This is serious line dancing to the next level...hey, I know ya'll practicing this right now.

Old school and new skool at the same time

I had to laugh (nicely, of course) at my experience with my yoga studio's brand.

1. Mark sent me this article today (with a quote from one of the teachers, Vanessa) in regards to old school yoga, in particular, learning Sanskrit - becoming more and more popular. How yogi's are turning away from just the physical and making it more of a spiritual practice.

2. I went to look up the weekly schedule online and come across the studio's new ecommerce component to the site. It is a place were you register for classes ahead of time (like pre-booking an e-ticket), buy class passes, yoga schtuff and more interesting - your info, including the classes you went to, yuor history, etc. On Friday, I also got a new card with a UPC code to make signing up easier.

You see, a great example of maintaining the fundamentals of your service/product while incorporating technologies to better the experience (and probably easier for the staff as well)