Four For Friday - The Early Edition

Note From Mikal: Given that tomorrow is a holiday and today feels like Friday, I'm posting this week's Four For Friday meme today rather than tomorrow. Enjoy and have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Q1 - Holiday Travel: Retail gas prices rose overnight to a record high for the fourth day in a row, ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend -- one of the nation's busiest weekends for travel. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to an all-time high of $4.098 from $4.092 the day before, a daily survey by motorist group AAA showed. Here in Orange County, Calif., our average prices are $4.559 for a gallon of Regular, $4.853 for a gallon of Mid, $4.933 for a gallon of Premium, and $5.098 for a gallon of Diesel. Have you changed your July Fourth plans because of rising gas prices?

Q2 - Neighbors: On the afternoon of November 14, 2007, 61-year-old Joe Horn shot and killed two men burglarizing his Vietnamese-American neighbor's home in Pasadena, Texas. Published recordings of Horn's exchange with 911 emergency dispatch indicate that he was asked repeatedly not to interfere with the burglary, because the police would soon be on hand. Here's a brief snippet of Horn's 911 conversation:

• 911 Operator: Mr. Horn, do not go out the house.
• Joe Horn: I'm sorry. This ain't right, buddy.
• Operator: You're going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with that gun. I don't care what you think. Stay in the house.
• Horn: You wanna make a bet? I'm gonna kill 'em.

On the 911 tape, Horn can be heard confronting the suspects, saying, "Move, and you're dead", immediately followed by the sound of a shotgun blast, followed by two more. Following the shootings, Horn told the 911 operator, "They came in the front yard with me, man, I had no choice." The two men Horn shot, Diego Ortiz and Hernando Riascos Torres, happened to be illegal aliens from Columbia, and autopsy results revealed both were fatally shot in the back.

To wrap this question up, after hearing two weeks of testimony from witnesses, earlier this week a Houston grand jury chose not to indict Horn for any wrongdoing. Despite how you feel about Horn's actions, would you choose to defend your neighbor's home in the same way? Would you exit your own home in broad-daylight brandishing a weapon in an attempt to stop burglars or suspected thieves?

Q3 - Gobble Up: Now that the European Large Hadron Collider is completed and ready to fire up in August, a slew of articles have popped up on the Internet and in newspapers around the world quoting doomsayers. An AP article from last weekend was the most recent example of critics warning that the 17-mile, $5.8 billion supercollider--which will slam protons together in an attempt to learn more about the building blocks of the universe--will inadvertently create a black hole that will gobble up planet Earth. Are you worried?

Q4 - You Choose: We all know that there only 12 months in a year. But what if I gave you the ability to add a 13th month to the calendar! What would you call this 13th month and where in the calendar would you place it?

Four For Friday

Q1 - Artistic License: If you could quit your day job to pursue a full-time career in art, and you were guaranteed at least the same income you make now, what would you create/sell?

Q2 - Holding: How long will you wait on hold (in a call-waiting situation--not in a customer service situation) before hanging up? For example, if you are on the phone with your Mom and she puts you on hold to take another call, will you stay on the line until she comes back or do you have a particular threshold for such things (i.e., it's different depending upon who it is that put you on hold)?

Q3 - Trash: With the nation's landfills reaching capacity, state and local governments are adopting new strategies to deal with solid and hazardous waste, from stepped-up recycling programs to exporting trash to foreign countries. Are you more concerned, less concerned, or not concerned at all about the amount of trash you personally create?

Q4 - Election: General speaking, are you looking forward to this summer's political conventions and the ensuing Presidential election?

Are You Prepared to Die? I Was!

Whenever I think about the possibility--no, the inevitability--of dying, I get petrified. While I try not to think about it, I know that sooner or later my heart will give out and this life as I know will cease to exist.

Tim Russert's death was a shock to the system, as was the death of my father 18 years ago, and when I actually stop to think about how I'll go--in my sleep, automobile accident, mugging, what have you--I'm never quite okay with it. While I have no specific long term goals or bucket list of things that I feel I absolutely must do before checking out, I still have no interest in leaving, and certainly feel that at the moment when I take my last breath, like many people, I'll be disappointed for not having done all that I could and should.

With that as the backdrop for this post, the other day, for a good 15 minutes, while boarding a plane for the 1,700 mile journey from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to Santa Ana's John Wayne Airport, I was completely comfortable with the prospect of my plane falling out of the sky with me in it. Call it an epiphany or total resignation to the prospect of dying right then and there but I was ready.

Back up 45 minutes and you'd see I had just arrived at my gate for the 3 hour and 46 minute flight home from three days of speaking about the benefits of blogging to online retailers attending the seventh annual eBay Live! Community conference and expo at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. The conference, while poorly attended in comparison to previous eBay Live! conferences, was an excellent event for me as a business blogging advocate and educator. The accolades I received from nearly every single person who attended one of my three workshops was nothing less than spectacular, without exception (I know, that sounds so self-congratulatory, but considering my state of heath throughout the event--I was running a fever and my voice was nearly shot--I was actually, for once, quite proud of myself and my co-presenter, former eBay University instructor and entrepreneur Steve Lindhorst).

While attending the event, I had the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and business associates, many of which experienced tremendous personal and business growth since the last eBay Live! event in Boston. (As an aside, one friend lost more than 60 pounds, while another was finally hitting his stride in reaching eBay sellers with the kind of educational material that is truly making a difference in their lives, not to mention in the lifecycle of his own business. To be surrounded by such savvy and compelling people was an honor as well as an inspiration. I even connected with someone who reminded me about the power of positive thinking, and another--a business owner--who acknowledged my contributions while working on a competitive account a few year back.)

With that as the backdrop for my trip to the airport ... here's what happened next:

• The moment I arrived at gate B-20, an announcement was made that my flight was overbooked and passengers were welcome to come forward to volunteer their seats in exchange for a guaranteed seat on a later flight (and a free round-trip ticket to be used at any point over the next year).
• Since free travel is the next best thing to free food, I gladly offered up my seat and patiently sat in the closest seat I could find to the ticket counter.
• If you know me, it comes as no surprise that I started a conversation with the person seated next to me.
• Fairly quickly, I learned that she worked for a Chicago-based sports marketing firm and was traveling to Las Vegas to coordinate an event.
• Her client, it turns out, manufactures and distributes a popular a nutrition bar. (Coincidentally, I have a client who manufactures and distributes a nutrition bar.)
• She asks me what I do... I explain, mentioning along the way my passion and know-how in business and corporate blogging, and she mentions that she's starting a new business (sports-related) and asks if a blog would help that business.
• Yada, yada, yada... we talk, it all makes sense, we exchange business cards, hint at the prospect of working together, and wrap it up... or so I thought.

What happened next prepared me to die.

Somehow we got to talking about age. (I think I asked where she went to college, what she studied, what year she graduated and she said--at some point--"Are you trying to figure out how old I am?")

Once we exchanged ages, she lamented that she felt at her age (32) she should have by now accomplished a lot more (like many of her friends), which is why she hardly ever tells anyone how old she is. For my part, I told her that I once too felt the exact same way. I shared that when I lived in Colorado, whether by design or coincidence, I was surrounded by very successful people, almost of whom were at least five to10 years younger than me, had significantly higher net worth's than me, and were consistently recognized by our professional peers, industry trade groups, the local media, and mutual business peers and friends as being the cream of crop at such young ages.

I then shared that had I accomplished what she had by her age (Ivy League graduate, MBA student, gainfully employed by an emergent sports marketing management firm, trusted to be the coordinator of a major series of pro golf events around the country, yada yada, that I'd feel differently... that I would most likely feel exceptional, on top of my game, with nothing but a really bright future ahead.

I also told her that for me, the defining moment for how I valued myself (back in Colorado after spending years unfairly comparing myself to others) was when I learned and truly started to live the following concept:

All there is is what happens and what you choose to believe about it. And, related... All there is is what other people say or do and what you choose to believe about it.

Once I understood the freedom associated with living a life with that notion by my side, I told her, my life--and the lives of the people closest to me--became infinitely simpler and way more enjoyable.

Now, at that moment, knowing I had been added to the "I'll volunteer my seat" list and that I had chosen to sit next to her simply because I wanted quick access when the ticket agent would call my name to confirm my free travel voucher, the young woman said something like:

I believe that all things happen for a reason, and I am so glad we got to connect. I truly believe that my flight to Vegas was delayed for a reason, and that you were put here for a reason. I am just so glad that you chose to give up...

We interrupt this cliche to announce...

Belicove, Mikal Belicove, please see the agent at Gate B-20; Mikal Belicove, please see the agent at Gate B-20!!

Long story short, even though I was the first person to volunteer my seat, my seat was no longer needed. Seat 7E--a middle seat--was all mine and was waiting for my pear-shaped body to submit.

When I turned to go back to where my carry-on bag was laying, with a frown on my face for having lost the opportunity to score a free ticket and dialogue further with this woman (and no, I wasn't hitting on her, Steve; she was married and we had already covered that ground), I could tell that she too was sad but also grateful for the moment.

But before I left to board the plane, I took a notebook out and asked if I could share one more concept that sort of changed my life and that she too may appreciate exploring further. With her encouraging nod of approval, I began to draw what I've coined my "Possibilities versus Expectations Paradigm," which I explain through this somewhat humorous college-related example:

Remember when you were in college and you called your boyfriend up on the phone and invited him over to your dorm room to watch a movie? Around 30 minutes later, he shows up with his hair all combed, teeth brushed, and smelling like he'd just been quick-dipped in a bottle of Drakkar Noir Cologne for Men by Guy Laroche.

Much to your boyfriend's surprise, when he walks through the door to your dorm room, sitting there on the floor smack-dab in front of the television is your roommate, Karen, who just may be the most annoying person ever admitted to any institution of higher learning. At that moment, your boyfriend realizes you meant watch a movie, not "watch a movie" (i.e., make out).

When one travels down the road called "Expectation" (as in the example above), and they hit a roadblock or significant pothole, they get thrown off course, become lost, and experience a sense of anger, disappointment, and resentment. If they ever do make it back onto Expectation Blvd., chances are that the journey will be hampered and limited by what happened in the past.

On the other hand, when one chooses to travel to the same location but via a different road--the one called "Possibility"--when faced with the exact same roadblock or bump in the road, navigating around the obstacle--while still challenging--is a heck of lot easier and a lot less painful because right on the other side of Possibility Drive's pothole is more hope, intention, and most importantly... more possibilities.

Here's a reproduction of what I used as the visual aid:

The look in her eyes upon having heard and seen this paradigm was touching, and her comment as I ripped the crumpled page from my notebook and asked her if she wanted it to reflect on later, was priceless. Again, she reconfirmed the notion that everything happens for a reason, and thanked me with a look that said more than words ever could.

As I walked back to the ticket agent to gain access to the crowded walkway to the plane, I turned around and waved a sort of goodbye, and in that moment I thought to myself that if indeed everything does happen for a reason and my plane were to fall out of the sky at some point over the next 3 hours and 46 minutes, I'd be completely at peace, because I felt that in that moment that I may have made enough of a difference in someone else's life that my own may have finally had some significant measure of meaning.

Quite egotistically, I envisioned news of my death eventually reaching her, and somehow--and I know, this is just absolutely absurd--that the sheet of paper that I left with her would make its way out to the rest of the world and impact millions and billions of people (in part because of the whole "everything happens for a reason" thing). A book would be written, Oprah would add it to her reading list, a foundation would be established and my last name would somehow become synonymous with the Possibilities versus Expectations Paradigm.

As I boarded the plane, I remained committed to my newfound belief that if it were all to end now, it would end in the spirit of a life having made a difference in the survival and advancement of others.

Some 15 minutes later--as a flight attendant said something to this effect: In the event of a change of cabin pressure, panels above your head will open revealing oxygen masks. Remain seated with your seatbelts fastened. Pull a mask down towards you to active the flow of oxygen. Oxygen will be flowing to the mask even though the bag may not inflate. Cover your nose and mouth with the mask, place the elastic band around your head and continue to breathe normally. Remember to secure your own mask before assisting other.--I no longer felt as I did before. Death was no longer an option!

Obviously, my flight did not fall out of the sky and I did make it home with nothing more than my own memory of the experience. At the outset of this entry, I posted Andy Warhol's quote about fame. In a similar vain, I now wonder if the same holds true:

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Leader: Despite perceptions that the nation is losing its competitive edge, the United States remains the dominant leader in science and technology worldwide, according to a RAND Corporation study issued a last week. The United States, says RAND, accounts for 40% of the total world's spending on scientific research and development, employs 70% of the world's Nobel Prize winners, and is home to three-quarters of the world's top 40 universities. Two questions here... 1. Do you care where the U.S. ranks in science and technology; and... 2. Does it feel to you like the U.S. leads the world in these two categories?

Q2 - Advertising: Some of the companies advertising on television encourage viewers to visit a specific website or URL for an extended version of their commercial. When you see such prompts, do you go to the advertiser's website or do you generally ignore such goading?

Q3 - Internet Traffic: Some people use the Internet just to check e-mail and look up phone numbers. Others are online all day, uploading and downloading large files. For years, both kinds of Web surfers have paid the same price for access. But now three of the nation's largest Internet service providers are threatening to clamp down on subscribers by placing limits on their online activity. One of them, Time Warner Cable, began a trial of "Internet metering" in one Texas city early this month, asking customers to select a monthly plan and pay surcharges when they exceed their bandwidth limit. The idea is that those of us who use the Internet more heavily should pay more, the way we do for water or electricity. How do you feel about this? Would you be willing to pay a metered rate for Internet access?

Q4 - Dissection: Like all medical schools, the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine requires its students to study and work on cadavers. In addition, the OU College of Medicine requires its student to attend its annual Anatomical Donor Memorial Luncheon, where they meet in person with family members of the specific donor they're charged with working on. Do you think you could stomach working on a cadaver?

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Rainbow: Rainbows--the optical and meteorological phenomena that cause a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere--are a rare sight. When was the last time you saw a rainbow (where was it and what were you doing at the time of the sighting)?

Q2 - Loyalty: Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. yesterday revealed plans to sell its 2,200 company-owned gas stations, saying they aren't profitable enough even with gasoline selling at nearly $5.00 per gallon. Are you loyal to a particular brand of gasoline or one specific gas station? If so, what is it about that brand or station that makes you so loyal?

Q3 - Sunday Morning: Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and the moderator of "Meet the Press," died this morning after collapsing while recording voiceovers for Sunday's broadcast. Do you watch any of the Sunday morning interview shows that specialize in interviewing national leaders on issues of state, economics and foreign policy?

Q4 - : The Guinness Book of World Records claims that "My name is Bond, James Bond" is the most famous movie line of all time. What's your favorite line from a movie?

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Help, I'm Stuck: With gas prices hovering at more $4/gallon, motorists are said to be putting less fuel in their tanks, then coming up empty on the highway. Though national statistics on out-of-gas motorists do not exist, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that drivers unwilling or unable to fill 'er up are gambling by keeping their tanks extremely low on fuel. In the Philadelphia area, where the average price for a gallon of regular broke $4 last Friday, calls from out-of-gas AAA members doubled between May 2007 and May 2008, from 81 to 161, the auto club reported. Have you ever run out of gas? If so, what happened?

Q2 - Summer 2008 Movies: Iron Man, Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Sex and the City: The Movie, Kung Fu Panda, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, The Happening, The Incredible Hulk, Get Smart, Wall-E, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Dark Knight, Step Brothers, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, The Mummy 3, The Rocker, Pineapple Express, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Tropic Thunder... which movies are you most looking forward to watching this summer?

Q3 - Reviews: I recently joined the consumer review website Yelp.com, where I can read, create and post reviews of everything from restaurants to my local cable provider. How likely are you to write, create and post reviews on sites like Yelp or Amazon, and how likely are you to read consumer reviews as a part of your purchasing process?

Q4 - Bookstore: When you visit a bookstore, which sections do you normally gravitate to and which do you avoid at all costs?

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Q1 - Cookies: The Oreo cookie is an American favorite, whether drenched in milk chocolate, loaded with extra creamy filling or dipped in a glass of milk. Now the Oreo is headed overseas to Britain where it's manufacturer, Nabisco, hopes to please the British palate (can you say "Oreos and Tea"). In any event, what is your favorite type and/or brand of cookie?

Q2 - Music: Helping to alleviate pain and stress in premature babies could be as simple as offering them a few verses of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" -- at least that's what a new study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children shows... that music could help premature babies get out of intensive care units sooner. What role or impact if any does music play in your life or in the life of your friends and family?

Q3 - You: What do you think is the biggest misconception about you?

Q4 - Spending Your Own Money: Jared Polis, a 30-something Internet generation entrepreneur--who together with his parents founded and then sold an online greeting card website (bluemountainarts.com) for $780 million back in 1998--is now running for a seat in the United States Congress (2nd Congressional District--Colorado). According to recent reports, Polis, who legally changed his last name in the late-90s from Schutz to Polis, is said to have already self-funded his campaign to the tune of nearly $3.7 Million, which according to the Boulder Daily Camera is three times as much money as he has raised from contributors, and dramatically more than any of his opponents have been able to raise or contribute themselves to their own campaigns. Do you think it's okay for people to self-fund their race for public office in such large amounts--like Jared Polis and other wealthy American politicians have done over the years--or, should limits be placed on the amount of money people are allowed to pour into their own campaigns?

Curbing Online Shopping Cart Abandonment

Shopping cart abandonment--an important metric to online retailers--is increasing, according to eMarketer.com (citing recently released data from MarketLive). Savvy shoppers have always searched for bargains online and compared prices before completing purchases, and in this economy we're bound to see of the same, which leads to more and more online shoppers abandoning shopping carts.

eMarketer's article reminded me of an article I wrote last year while on assignment at Doba. For anyone interested...

Curb Shopping Cart Abandonment

By Mikal E. Belicove, [former] Director - Community & Education, Doba

In traditional retailing, customers rarely abandon their shopping carts. They may take one or two items out at the last minute, but you don't see many full shopping carts just sitting in the aisles. Online, retailers, on the other hand, estimate that 30 to 35 percent of shoppers leave their shopping carts behind.

A well-designed checkout process can reduce these abandonment rates significantly. This article offers some suggestions.

Streamline the checkout process

Online shoppers want instant gratification, so make the ordering process as smooth as possible:

• Use a consistent design. Don't throw something totally new at your customers--keep the design and functionality of the checkout process consistent with the rest of your site.
• Don't require registration. Make registration optional.
• Eliminate unnecessary steps and clearly indicate at each step where the customer is in the ordering process. People like to know when the end is in sight.
• Don't force shoppers to enter their address twice, such as a billing and a shipping address, if those addresses are the same.

To see a well-designed checkout process in action, visit Amazon.com or LL Bean. At Amazon.com, a first-time buyer can order an item without registering in about eight simple steps.

Eliminate surprises

Nothing sends a shopper running for the exits faster than a nasty surprise late in the checkout process. From beginning to end, keep the shopper well-informed:

• Post the estimated shipping charge in your listing or on the product description page.
• Display the estimated delivery time in your listing or on the product description page. Amazon.com does an excellent job of this. When a product is in-stock, a message appears saying something like, "Get it by February 12, 2007 if you order now."
• Display a running total of the order, including shipping charges at every step in the checkout process.
• Highlight any inventory issues--for example, in-stock or out-of-stock.
• Highlight any ordering deadlines for holidays.
• Add any customer satisfaction guarantee you offer prominently on each page of the ordering process.

Offer multiple payment options

Not everyone has a PayPal account. To appeal to the greatest number of shoppers, offer multiple payment options:

• PayPal
• Visa, MasterCard, and American Express
• Checks and money orders
• Gift certificates

Nearly every payment option available is vulnerable to some sort of fraud. To reduce your vulnerability to fraud, protect yourself. Check out, "Fraud Protection: Avoiding Sham Orders and Unscrupulous Customers." [Note: site registration may be required to read this article.]

Advertise your webstore's security

Shoppers are hyper-aware of identity theft and online fraud, so they're likely to shy away from any store they don't completely trust. Throughout your site and especially in the checkout process, advertise any security measures you have in place, such as a secure server. If your business is a member of the Better Business Bureau or has a secure site certification, display the fact prominently. For more suggestions on how to build customer trust in your site, refer to the series, "Competing on Trust." [Note: site registration may be required to read this article.]

Offer multiple ship-to options

If your store carries products commonly purchased as gifts, implement a shopping cart feature that enables the shopper to ship selected items from the shopping cart to different recipients with a single payment. Clearly describe how any gift receipts will be handled.

Enable customers to remove items from the shopping cart

When shoppers can't easily remove an item from their shopping cart, they feel trapped. Instead of canceling the order and starting over, they may simply leave. During each step in the ordering process, allow customers to remove items from the shopping cart or change quantities.

When shoppers add products to their cart, they're very close to actually purchasing those products. Don't blow the sale by creating a confusing and convoluted checkout process. Do everything you can to earn customer trust and make the checkout process as hassle-free as possible.

About the Author:

Mikal E. Belicove is an expert at building and supporting online communities of practice and Business-to-Business-related social networks. As Doba's {former] Director of Community & Education, Mikal oversees the company's efforts to educate retail business owners and connect customers with one another. Mikal is the author of 2007 Edition of the Internet Yellow Pages (Que Publishing/ Pearson, 10/06), co-authored with Joe Kraynak.

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Latest Congressional Approval Ratings Suggest You Should Not Vote a Member of Congress into The White House

According to the latest Congressional Approval Ratings (secured May 8-11, 2008, by Gallup), the U.S. Congress' approval rating is now tied for the lowest mark ever in Gallup's history of seeking such information. When asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?" only 18% of Americans indicated they approved.

From Gallup:

With these numbers in mind, why would voters choose to elect a sitting member of Congress as President? Seriously, if you ran a restaurant and went in search of a new general manager to replace the one you currently have (who by the way has an approval rating of his own of that is the lowest in the history of your entire restaurant chain), and I told you that all of your finalists were from the same restaurant--a restaurant that less than 20% of the time satisfied its customers--wouldn't you restart your search?

And for those of you, who think the low approval rating is synonymous with a Democratic Party-controlled Congress, think again. Republican voters and Democrat voters alike are equally dismayed by Congress' performance.

Again, from Gallup:

(Note: If your eyes are as bad as mine, the above chart shows 20% of Republicans approve, versus 16% of Democrats -- average two and that's where Gallup gets its 18% overall approval rating.)

What's the point in mentioning all of this? It's simple... a friend once told me that Benjamin Franklin coined the popular definition of insanity when said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

I ask you... what is not insane about electing a member of Congress to the highest office in the land... a member of Congress, mind you, who has already been elected to serve a term in Congress that they will vacate to fulfill the duties of the office of the President... a member of Congress who right now--at this very moment (and for the last 12 months or so)--has not being doing the very job they were elected to do by the voters in their district because they have instead chosen to vie for the Commander-in-Chief's job instead.

Insanity indeed!