Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Roadside Bombs - Dangers Abroad and at Home

PROFANITY ALERT! Although given the situation I certainly don't blame them, there is a bit of profanity in the above video.

IED's or Improvised Explosive Devices are just one of the many dangers our Armed Forces face everyday. Our troops were very lucky in this particular case as it appears the IED may have been planted too far below the surface of the road. Had it been properly placed, the outcome could have been quite different.

It is important we understand the peril our service men and women live through in the pursuit of freedom and the protection of the American ideal. They are in harms way for us, the citizens of the United States of American. It is our responsibility to support them at home. Not only is it imperative that we give emotional support to our troops and their families, we also need to give political support.

We the People need to ensure for our troops and their children that the Great Nation they are fighting for is still great when they return. We are tasked with protecting the rights of the American people at home while they are protecting us abroad. This is something to seriously ponder with major elections in the coming year. Are you politically active? Do you follow the platforms of the candidates or just vote party? Does you elected official properly represent you or do they represent themselves? I urge you to get informed. You have plently of time.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Soldier's Christmas

This is a very special poem that should be read everyday of the year, but especially on Christmas. We as Americans must support our men and women that at best put their lives on hold at worst put their lives on the line in service of our great Nation. While most of you are at home with your families this holiday season please remember and be grateful to the ones who "guard your door". To all our servicemen and women past and present; Thank you for everything you do, God Bless and have a wonderful Christmas.

A special thank you to Michael Marks for writing this beautiful poem.


A Soldier's Christmas


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight;
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem.
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eye when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood; his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said, “It’s really all right,
I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night”

“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red white and blue… an American flag.

“I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home,
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat,
I can carry the weight of killing another
Or lay down my life with my sisters and brothers
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To insure for all time that this flag will not fall.”

“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone;
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust.
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

©Copyright December 7, 2000 by Michael Marks

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Lt. Col. Oliver North "Time to Give Thanks"

This video was released by the NRA right before Thanksgiving 2009. It is a portion of a speech given by Lt. Col. Oliver North at the 2009 NRA annual meeting. In his speech, Lt. Col. North reminds us that while we are home enjoying time spent with our families and friends this holiday season, we have thousands of men and women overseas representing us in a war. These American Heroes cannot be with their loved ones during the holidays and we need to be cognisant of their sacrifices and be thankful for their selfless love of country.

Lt. Col. North tells a story about a young Navy Corpsman who runs into a firefight to save the lives of several soldiers. This young man is a shining representation of what it means to be an American Soldier. We should all be both proud and thankful.

I was so moved by this video that I needed to include it as this week's blog post. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I have. God Bless America.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

The Twitter Trend

Take Advantage of Social Media's Free Marketing Opportunities


Orginally published in the December 2009 edition of The MHEDA Edge.

By now most of you have heard of Twitter, the newest social media phenomenon that is sweeping the Web. It allows you to communicate with your pool of “followers” via 140-character posts or “tweets.” What you might not realize is that Twitter is a great marketing tool that’s becoming more and more useful every day. It allows you to proactively engage customers, whereas a standard Web site is generally reactive. At American Warehouse Systems (AWS), we use Twitter to drive traffic to our blog and then to our Web site. Since we began tweeting, Twitter has become the number one non-search-related driver of traffic to our site. It’s also the number one driver of traffic to the AWS blog. While usage hasn’t evolved to the point where you will be wheeling and dealing, selling equipment on the site, Twitter has become a valuable brand-building tool.
Developing a Following
When starting out on the site, the first thing you need to focus your efforts on is building a following. The idea is to build as large a community of followers (contacts) as you possibly can. However, simply adding anyone you come across isn’t a great strategy. The key is to develop a target audience and find ways to get its attention.
So how do you find the people in your target market? The first thing you should do is to start to follow others. Look for people who either fall into your target audience or people who your target audience might be interested in. For instance, we do a great deal of contracting with the federal government, so I follow a great deal of military-related people. Then, when one of the people I follow posts something that I find interesting, I can “retweet” or re-post what they said for the rest of my followers to see. I get a twofold benefit. My followers will recognize me as someone who knows about the things that matter to them and then, that person might return the favor sometime in the future.
How do you know who to follow? The Twitter search feature itself is useful, but not comprehensive. To fully maximize your Twitter potential, you should look at the array of third-party platforms out there. One such application that I recommend is Tweet Spinner. It allows you to search for a demographic based on keyword, company or zip code. The application also allows you to view follower “overlaps” with your competitors. It will also give you insight into the quality of each of your followers. The application’s configuration helps you bypass people who tweet too many URLS and who never @reply. Ultimately, all these tools are going to help you build a following that is not just big, but also targeted and high-quality.
Once you have found your target market on Twitter, the next, and perhaps most important, way to grow your following is to position yourself as a person that people in your target market need to follow. You have to be an authority. The most effective way to do this is by writing quality tweets. Many new Twitter users fall into the trap of only using the site to spam links to their Web page. That’s not a good idea. Twitter is a conversation. At its core, it is people interacting. You wouldn’t step into a conversation where people are talking about football and say “Hey, check out my pallet rack.” Don’t do it on Twitter either. As a rule of thumb, I try to make sure only one in every five tweets that I send out are links back to the AWS Web site.
Instead, look for things that your target audience will be interested in. Read an interesting article? Link to it. Hear a good joke or a funny story? Share it. Stumble across a piece of breaking news? Let your followers know about it. If you write valuable tweets, your followers will pay attention to what you’re saying. Then, when you do slip your company link in at a strategic time, your followers are much more likely to click on it.
When you see one of your followers starting a discussion, don’t be afraid to get involved. That’s what Twitter is for. If someone asks a question or makes a comment, respond to it. It will make your followers feel more involved with your company and they will pay more attention to its tweets.
Social Media Policy Social Media Policy
Any company who hopes to dive into the social media world should seriously consider developing a social media policy. There are plenty of examples out there for you to use as a guideline when developing a policy. For those of you looking for a starting point, Kodak has published their social media policy for all to read. To view it, visit this page.
The Future is Now
As I mentioned previously, Twitter isn’t necessarily a foolproof sales tool yet. I can’t off the top of my head say that we have received a PO specifically because of Twitter. What I can quantify is the effect Twitter has had on building our brand and sending people to our Web sites. Twitter is the number one non-search-engine referrer to the AWS Web site and the overall number one referrer to the AWS blog.
I know some people are still skeptical about Twitter and other social media ventures, but it’s getting to the point where you can’t afford to be. Every company should at the very least have a corporate account. Larger companies may even want to consider an account for every department. The social media train is at the station and it’s time for you to get onboard. Especially in trying times like these, you can’t afford to let any opportunity pass you by. Marketing through social media is the future and the future is now.
Again Thank you to my good friends at MHEDA Edge for publishing this article. You can see the original here. You can also follow MHEDA Edge on Twitter @MatHandlingEdge.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

LinkedIn LinkedMinnesota Holiday Extravaganza


American Warehouse Systems is participating in the first ever LinkedMinnesota Holiday Networking Extravaganza, held at the Harrington Mansion in Minneapolis on Dec. 14. This is the largest event to date with the Minnesota Group through the LinkedIn Social website.

The show floor will open for attendees at 10:00 AM with a fabulous Italian lunch buffet featuring two types of lasagna and side dishes from Noon to 1:00 PM. There are approximately 50 Minnesota based vendors registered to display information about their products and services.

- Enter to win more than $13,000 in prizes! (12:30pm)

- Make new connections and find new clients during 10 rounds of Speed Networking (1-1:30pm)

TICKETS ARE LIMITED so sign up now to secure your spot: $15.95 for the entire day including tradeshow, speed networking, prize drawing and lunch; $10 for access to the tradeshow and speed networking only (1-3pm).

SIGN UP AT: http://bit.ly/2Y3LmK . Enter your contact information and use Membership # 08770. Scroll down to the LinkedMN event section.
If you are in town, please stop by the event and visit with us.