So here is what happened. We, Fat Atom Internet Marketing (fatatom.com), did a Facebook fan page for one of our clients. The site took off like a rocket, hit almost 50,000 fans, and then we wake up one day to find Facebook had taken the page down. They sent no warning, had already validated our page, and offered no explanation later. We sent support requests to Facebook for almost 2 weeks, everyday, afterward, and they have yet to get back with us. Thousands of dollars were spent on this campaign, and now they are all gone.

We think it is very irresponsible of Facebook, who is still young in the professional world, to treat paying customers like this. Facebook is a great place to grow your business online, but behavior like this is downright terrifying. Business need to have confidence that they are safe investing money in Facebook.

We created this video to express our frustration and confusion.

If you have had this happen to you, please leave a comment and help us spread this video around the web!

Fat Atom Internet Marketing
http://fatatom.com

Labels: Facebook, Fat Atom Internet Marketing

Well, the news was not good. Yahoo ranks the top 15 franchise failures - http://news.alibaba.com/article/detail/entrepreneur/100191506-1-top-15-franchise-failures.html

The bad news is the top one was a client and the third one I owned. If I thought about it, I might be depressed, but if I really thought about it, I should be happy. I believe all our past experiences bring us to the person we are today, that is almost undeniable. But here is where my road takes a turn; I also believe that we have the power to make who we are tomorrow. Tomorrow is not defined by your past. We have the ability to make tomorrow whatever we want...the two questions most of us have to answer are these:

1) Do you know what you want?
2) Do you know how to get what you want?

Here is a random list of 16 things I don't get. If you have any thoughts, please let me know.

1) Politicians - Are they all self-serving?
2) Liberal Politicians - Do they really think that way??
3) Women - Maybe I need a manual.
4) Liberal Women Politicians - no comment
5) Olympia Snow - just put a "D" next to your name and get it overwith
6) Chevrolet - really, you let Obama push you around.
7) AIG & Lehman Brothers - where did all the money go?
8) People who build bubbles - WTF?
9) Women who had sex with David Letterman - yuck.
10) Women who look like men...and like it - double yuck.
11) People who pierce their face, tongue or lip - ouch.
12) Why can't I just pay for ESPN? - Isn't it the 21st century?
13) How does Twitter make money? Or have the money to exist?
14) Why can ships dump their trash (and poop) in the ocean?
15) Businesses who still by TV advertising - seriously, have you heard of Tivo?
16) People who have reptiles as pets - How can you love a snake?

That was a RnD post from shiny objects developement. We are createing a ping.fm iPhone app.

The above was sent from Jack Hall, he is our intern for my new business, Shiny Objects Development, LLC. More to come on this, cool that we are about to launch. Everyone is invited to our launch party in August....stay tuned!

Ok, if you have not watched the movie "Expelled" by Ben Stein yet, your missing something great. As most of you know, I have given up TV for the year but honestly, I will not be going back to my old habits...but that is another entry.

Back to "Expelled". Holy crap what do we let our politicians and teachers get away with? How can we take a group of reasonable people, which I believe is about 63.7% of America and stand up to make a change. Not Ass or Elephant, but reasonable change that a majority of Americans can get behind? Please, someone help me because I am at wits end. I am going to purchase a sailboat and check out because I don't see a light at the end of this ugly tunnel we call "political correctness". Thoughts...anyone...anyone...?

The following list was written by my beautiful wife on a roll of paper towels on our first anniversary - May I never forget them.




Snuggle with me
Don't judge me
Cook for me
Made a deck for me
Cleans the house
Opens my car door
Tries new things
Keeps in shape
Walks around in blue jeans w/o a shirt on
Includes me in the kids lives
Satisfies me sexually
Provides financial security for our family
Includes me in decisions to do with our family
Keeps me warm in Church
Holds my hand
Spends time with the family
Takes care of the finances
Walks on the side of the street near the road to protect me from cars
Holds me at night
Kisses me goodnight
Massages my body
Kiss me passionately
Read our couples book together
Snuggles on the couch
Have patience with me
Listens to my ideas and opinions
Makes me feel special
Makes me laugh
Hug me
Ask me how my day was
Understands the importance of my job
Tell me I did a good job with the kids
Tell me you are attracted to me
Tell me if you are having a bad day
Tells me you love me
Appreciates me
Kiss me when you get home
Loves me for ME.

Vicki, I hope I can do these things for as long as I have breath in me. All my love to you wife!

Labels: first anniversay note, Love from my wife

This is a place where I will be updating any analogies I make....as I was recently called by a prospective client, "The King of Analogies":

4/24/09 - In reference to us not having done a traditional marketing analysis before - "it like a condo builder who builds great condos and he has a friend who wants him to build a 2-story custom home, can he do it and do it right? Yes, has he done it before, not exactly.

5/4/09 - In reference to helping our clients get what they want. Our clients want to go to the beach. They want to have fun and play in the sun and water, but that's all they know. What beach should we take them to? Indiana Beach? Lake Michigan? Maui? Bora Bora? The point is, without research, asking questions and planning, you might end up at a beach, but not the one you really wanted. The same goes for web design. You have to love when clients say they want a new website or they want internet marketing, but don't want to pay for the plan...it is a recipe for disaster!

5/26/09 - Set the scene. My wife is showing our 6 year old daughter why she should be thankful for the food we have. She shows her a picture of a poor, starving african child, who is barley alive, crawling to a UN peace tent to get food, nearly dead mind you, with a vulture lurching in the background waiting for the child to die. I say to her, teaching a kid about why they should be thankful for food is like teaching your teenager about sex by showing them a Jenna Jameson Porno....while effective - it is probably a little over the top!

So my family volunteers every Tuesday at the local nursing home. We usually see the same 3 people, Alverda, Jim and Van(Robert). We have been doing this for the last 9 months or so, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is to teach our children there is more to life than what they see on TV and at school. Second is to remind my wife and I that there is more to life than what we see at work and home. Thirdly, it is the right thing to do, to give back.

Yesterday was like any other; I was busy. 6:30pm rolled around and I knew I had to leave, but I was still at work, hungry and frustrated that the day went by like a quick thunderstorm (loud and fast.) Yet my iphone kept chirping at me...time to go....time to go. So I reluctantly jumped in my truck, got a quick bite to eat and headed down the road. The nursing home we go to is only a 1/2 mile from my office, so while I was late, I thought it was no big deal. After all, I am volunteering right.

I walked into the home to find Vicki and Maggie already there, Kevin didn't come tonight, but Alverda and Van were there to, no Jim. Alverda is 93. She is always really "Good" (inside joke). She walks with her walker, loves to play Bingo and talk with us. She was born in Indiana and has a couple of great neices, but other than that, no family. She remembers us, but has some other memory problems that come with old age...but for the most part seems happy. Van is in a wheelchair and cannot walk. He is 83 years young, but has Parkinsons Disease. He is funny and just a good ole guy. He loves to talk, eat Baby Ruth's and drink Root Beer.

Jim isn't like the others. Jim is totally imobilized. He is in his early 50's if not late 40's. He has an offshoot of Parkinsons that is REALLY bad...so bad that he can really not do much. When we first met Jim, he was able to go fishing with us and actually reel in a fish. I could understand him, a little, when he spoke and he was eating good. Lately, Jim has gone down hill. Last week I brought him a 3 muskateers and he ate it happily, but he stopped eating everything else.

Back to last night. So when I walked in and saw all the gang, minus Jim, I was slighlty relieved. After all, he is harder to talk to, take care of and quite honestly, it is uncomfortable to be around him. So when I walked in, I almost felt happy he wasn't there. I sat by Van and asked how his week was and he said it was good, not much has happened except that Jim died yesterday. I feel like a schmuk. Life isn't about us. It isn't about "feeling" good all the time. It shouldn't be comfortable and happy 100% of the time. I will miss Jim. I will miss taking him fishing, to the library to type on the computer (looking for a BMW to convert to an electric car) helping him wipe the food from his hands and face, making him feel wanted, human. Yes, I will miss him, and I am sorry that he had to go for me to realize that volunteering isn't about me.

Labels: Volunteer